The cardiovascular study in Finnmark county: coronary risk factors and the occurrence of myocardial infarction in first degree relatives and in subjects of different ethnic origin.

As a part of a survey for coronary risk factors, family history of myocardial infarction (MI) was obtained in 4806 men and women aged 20--49 years. The two groups of subjects with (510) and without (3533) first degree relatives with MI showed only minor differences with respect to serum cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, serum triglycerides, relative body weight and cigarette consumption. As long as no other mechanism for transmission of familial risk is revealed, the occurrence of MI among first degree relatives therefore must be considered as independent and important coronary risk factor. The material was also analyzed with regard to the three ethnic groups--Lapps, Finns and Norsemen--which comprise the study population. A discrepancy between risk factor level and MI incidence between these three groups was observed.