Evaluation of the blood components considered as risk predictors in coronary heart disease.

The study included 249 patients two days before cardiovascular surgery and 73,915 control subjects. Results obtained were analyzed by grouping the individuals according to sex and age. In coronary heart disease (CHD) in males, total cholesterol was found higher than in controls (mean +/- D.S.: 241.9 +/- 44.7 vs 223.6 +/- 43.0 mg/dl, p < 0.01) between 25 and 49 years of age, this significance being lost with age. Triglycerides were also higher (197 +/- 107.3 vs 161.6 +/- 97.7 mg/dl, p < 0.01) in the CHD male population between ages 25 and 69. In CHD females, triglycerides were higher (116.9 +/- 56.2 vs 91.5 +/- 43.3 mg/dl, p < 0.05) between ages 25 and 49; cholesterol showed no difference at any of the ages studied. HDL-C was much lower in both sexes of CHD patients at all ages studied (p < 0.001). Uric acid was higher in CHD males between ages 25 and 49 (p < 0.05), this significance being lost in the older age CHD group. Other components such as glycated hemoglobin, glucose and ionized calcium, were not different from those of the control group.