The Belgian Heart Disease Prevention Project: type "A" behavior pattern and the prevalence of coronary heart disease.

A relation between the Type A behavior pattern and the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD), independent of other coronary risk factors, was demonstrated in the Belgian Heart Disease Prevention Project. The association was strongest with angina pectoris or with electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities in subjects with known CHD; however, particular aspects of the Type A behavior pattern dealing with time urgency were also related to ECG abnormalities in patients with no angina pectoris and no history of CHD.