Heart Attack Risk Factors Research Articles

Population risk of cardiovascular disease: The Minnesota Heart Survey

A decline in age-adjusted ischemic cardiovascular disease mortality has been observed in the United States during the past two decades. Among the leading explanatory hypotheses is improvement in the major known risk factors for heart attack and stroke in the general population, specifically hypertension, smoking, and lipid levels. To better understand risk factor trends, the Minnesota Heart Survey (MHS) began systematic risk factor surveys of the Minneapolis-St Paul population in 1980, (population 1.99 million). The metropolitan area was divided into 704 subareas (clusters) of approx. 1000 households each, utilizing geographic boundaries. In a two-stage cluster sampling technique, 40 subareas were randomly chosen and mapped. Approximately 8.75% of households were chosen from each subarea and selected residents age 25–74 years invited to participate. A total 4451 individuals participated in 1980–1982. The response rate for a home interview was 81.9 and 84.4% for a subsequent survey center visit, producing an overall response of 69.1%. The age and sociodemographic characteristics of the survey participants were similar to those found in the 1980 census. The prevalence of hypertension was 18.3% in this population with 76.0% taking medications and 65.0% controlled. Total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol levels demonstrated age and sex differences similar to those reported elsewhere. Current smoking of cigarettes was equally prevalent in men (34.5%) and women (33.5%) although more men were former smokers (35.2 vs 20.6%). Comparison of the MHS with the National HANES II data (1976–1980) indicates lower regular cigarette smoking among Minnesota males, with similar rates in females. Minnesota residents had better control of high blood pressure.

Risk factors for fatal heart attack in young women.

Deaths of 338 women at ages 15-44 years attributed to myocardial infarction (MI) on death certificates during an 18-month period in five metropolitan areas were investigated. Evidence of recent MI or evidence that death occurred suddenly was obtained for about half (163) from records of hospitals or medical examiners or from relatives. A case-control study (involving one deceased control, and one hospitalized living control) of risk factors for heart attack was then conducted using interviews with relatives and abstracts of records of hospitals and physicians identified by the relatives as sources of medical care. Information was obtained on history of prior MI, other heart disease, diabetes, thromboembolism, stroke, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, oophorectomy, oral contraception and cigarette smoking. Data are presented on the prevalence of these potential risk factors for the case group and each control group, and for subsets of cases consisting of those without prior heart disease, definite MI only, sudden death only, and white women only. Multivariate analyses identify somewhat different sets of risk factors and different levels of risk for the various subgroups. In general, the risk factors are those that have been reported for men, despite the major difference in level of mortality.

The Practice of Disease Prevention

MODERN medicine has successfully learned how to prevent the most devastating of the infectious diseases. These advances were the result of the coordinated efforts of research workers and practicing physicians, as well as the willingness of the public to accept preventive measures. With this record, an obvious question is why similar results have not been achieved for today's major causes of death, particularly cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and cancer, which together account for some 70% of all deaths in the United States. Much time has passed since statistically proven risk factors for heart attacks were established by the Framingham Study, since it was demonstrated that treatment of hypertension leads to a reduction in the occurrence of strokes, since cigarette smoking was shown to be related to lung cancer and a variety of other diseases, and since Papanicolaou first demonstrated the value of cervical smears in identifying early lesions of the cervix.