Risk Factors and Angiographically Determined Coronary Occlusion

An association of coronary artery occlusion, as determined by coronary arteriography with age, prevalence of risk factors and alcohol intake was studied in 1635 male and 371 female heart patients. The degree of coronary artery occlusion was positively related to elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, diabetes, age and history of smoking for both male and female patients. Hypertension was related to the degree of occlusion only for female patients. Male and female patients who had a higher alcohol intake tended to have less extensive occlusion. No positive association was found between obesity and the degree of occlusion. When the patients were divided on the basis of age (less than 50 and greater than or equal to 50 years) the findings did not differ. The lack of finding a relation between obesity and occlusion or between hypertension and occlusion for males differs from the general findings of epidemiologic studies on the relation between these risk factors and coronary heart disease. The authors believe that this discrepancy may either be explained by the way they selected patients (i.e., they selected patients who underwent a diagnostic angiographic examination), or that obesity and hypertension are not directly related to coronary occlusion but influence occlusive disease through some secondary mechanism.