Predicting coronary heart disease from minor symptoms and electrocardiographic findings.

Many coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths and many attacks of myocardial infarction seem clinically to occur as unheralded catastrophes. This is sur prising, considering that pathologically such events are preceded by years of progressive atherosclerosis and ischaemia. The present study estimates the frequency with which minor symptoms and electro cardiographic changes may occur in the years before these major 'unexpected' illnesses.