Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease in an Urban Population in Northern India

Abstract

A prevalence survey of coronary heart disease (CHD) was carried out in a north Indian town involving a house-to-house clinical and electrocardiographic examination of all the 2,030 persons above the age of 30 years residing in the area. The sample is considered adequate and representative of urban population of northern India. The diagnosis of CHD was based on history of myocardial infarction or angina pectoris and electrocardiographic abnormalities according to criteria used by Epstein and associates.¹ The prevalence rates of CHD for men and women were similar to those found in Tecumseh.¹ The prevalence of CHD increased with age, with socio-economic status, with the sedentary nature of occupation, and in hypertensives. Those with CHD were more obese than others, and the prevalence showed a positive correlation with subscapular skinfold thickness in men. Sixty-two per cent of the men and 88% of the women had clinically silent CHD. No comparable published data on prevalence of CHD in the general population in India is available.