A Longitudinal Study of Coronary Heart Disease

Certain of the data accumulated over the course of more than 4 years in a prospective study of coronary heart disease being carried on in an industrial population have been presented. In a base population of 1,989 men, 88 cases of coronary heart disease have developed: angina pectoris, 47 men; myocardial infarction, 28 men; death from coronary, disease, 13 men. This approximates one case per 100 men per year. The development of clinical coronary heart disease has shown an association with early age of death of father, history of "noncardiac" chest discomfort, history of chronic cough, history of shortness of breath, history of peptic ulcer, presence of increased skinfold thickness, elevated blood pressure, AV nicking in the fundi, elevated blood cholesterol, ST and T abnormalities in the electrocardiogram, and use of cigarettes and coffee. No relation was encountered between body weight, mean blood sugar levels, lipoprotein lipase levels, or diet (other than coffee), and the development of coronary heart disease. Similarly, there was no association with job type and no certain relation to physical activity off the job.