Ischaemic heart disease in the elderly.

Abstract

Studies were made for evidence of heart disease in 501 people aged 65 and over living at home; 22.4% had clinical and/or ECG evidence of ischemic heart disease. The prevalence of ischemic heart disease increased with age, and was slightly greater in men than women. The frequency of ischemic heart disease increased with increasing current cigarette consumption and with total cigarette consumption. There was no increase in relation to any of the following possible risk factors: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose, serum cholesterol, skinfold thickness, percentage of ideal body weight. The survival over a 5 yr period of all subjects with ischemic heart disease did not differ significantly from that of all subjects together, but the mortality of subjects with ischemic heart disease and an abnormal ECG was 1.5-2 times that of subjects in whom ischemic heart disease was diagnosed on the basis of angina pectoris or past cardiac infarction, the ECG being normal.