Fatal Coronary Arteriosclerosis in Young Soldiers

Since the beginning of the present war the Army Medical Museum has received protocols and tissues from more than 100 fatal cases of coronary arterial disease in soldiers 20 to 36 years of age. The chief facts concerning 80 such cases in which deaths seemed due to uncomplicated coronary lesions form the basis of this report. PREDISPOSING FACTORS Racial.—Three of the men were of Negro and 2 of American Indian ancestry. None had names usual among Jews of European stock, and few appear to have been of Jewish faith or ancestry. Most common were names of Irish or English origin, but there were also Italian, French and Slavic names. In brief, no racial tendency toward coronary sclerosis was indicated in the present series. Constitutional Factors.—There was a tendency to obesity. Eleven men were "very obese," 29 were "obese" and 33 were above "ideal weight for height." In summary,