Coronary heart disease in residents of Rochester, Minnesota. IV. Prognostic value of the resting electrocardiogram at the time of initial diagnosis of angina pectoris.

The data in this study were based on the 1,154 Rochester residents in whom a resting electrocardiogram had been obtained at the time of diagnosis of angina pectoris as the initial manifestation of coronary heart disease during the 26-year period 1950 through 1975. The finding of a normal electrocardiogram at the time of the initial diagnosis of angina pectoris was associated with a good prognosis. Survival at 5 years was equal to that expected, for the given age and sex distribution, under a cohort life table for the Minnesota white population. In contrast, in those patients who had an abnormal electrocardiogram at the time of diagnosis, the observed survival rate was 86% of that expected at 5 years.