Stenoses in the coronary arteries. Relation to atherosclerotic lesions, coronary heart disease, and risk factors. The Oslo Study.

Coronary heart disease is strongly associated with the presence of stenosis in the epicardial coronary arteries. This prospective autopsy study shows that the relationship between risk factors for coronary heart disease and the occurrence of stenosis is the same as between risk factors and coronary atherosclerotic lesions: serum cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure contribute to formation of coronary stenosis; high density lipoprotein cholesterol is inversely related to stenosis. None of the other risk factors for coronary heart disease, such as fasting triglycerides, smoking habits, social class, and physical activity at work and at leisure, was statistically associated with the occurrence of coronary stenosis. Additional statistical analyses show that these selected risk factors do not seem to have any independent influence on the development of coronary stenosis over and above that of the extent of raised atherosclerotic lesions.