Tervahauta M, Pekkanen J, Kivinen P, Stengård J, Jauhiainen M, Ehnholm C, Nissinen A
Department of Community Health and General Practice, University of Kuopio, Finland.
Atherosclerosis. 1993 Dec;104(1-2):47-59. doi: 10.1016/0021-9150(93)90175-t.
The prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors was studied in 413 men aged 70-89, the survivors of the Finnish cohorts of the Seven Countries Study. Men were divided into five categories according to manifestations of prevalent CVD: I, history or ECG evidence of previous myocardial infarction (MI; 48 men, 12%); II, typical angina pectoris (AP; 56 men, 14%); III, other ischaemic electrocardiographic (ECG) changes (82 men, 20%); IV, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, intermittent claudication or minor ECG changes (other CVD; 78 men, 19%); V, free of CVD (149 men, 36%). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were lowest in men with previous MI and in men free of CVD, and highest in men with other ischaemic ECG changes (P = 0.017). Low HDL-cholesterol (< 0.9 mmol/l) was more prevalent and the total/HDL-cholesterol ratio and triglyceride levels were higher in men with prevalent CHD (P < 0.05). Total and LDL-cholesterol, smoking, body mass index, fibrinogen, coagulation factor VIIc, apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein(a) were not associated with prevalent CVD. The results show that manifestations of CHD and CVD are common among elderly Finnish men. Low HDL-cholesterol, total/HDL ratio, triglycerides and hypertension were associated with manifest CVD cross-sectionally.
