Prevalence of three major risk factors in random sample of men and women, and in patients with ischaemic heart disease.

Abstract

A random sample of 283 men and 250 women between the ages of 30 and 69 yr was investigated for the 3 coronary risk factors-smoking, hyperlipoproteinemia, and hypertension. Men [146] and 87 women with ischemic heart disease underwent a similar investigation. Comparisons were made not only between the prevalence of particular coronary risk factors in the random sample and in the sample with ischemic heart disease, but also the prevalence of combinations of risk factors in both samples as well as prevalence based on sex differences. Reporting the prevalence of a single risk factor without knowing what other factors are present can be misleading. A substantial part of the preponderance of ischemic heart disease in men apparently relates to their greater prevalence of major risk factors in the younger age range, and particularly to the greater prevalence of moderately heavy cigarette smoking in combination with 1 or more of the other factors.