Open AccessCoronary artery atherosclerosis observed in men over 14 consecutive years
Author(s) -
Murphy M. L.,
De SOYZA N.,
Doherty J. E.,
Baker B. J.,
Bissett J. K.,
Watson J. W.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.4960080203
Subject(s) - medicine , myocardial infarction , cardiology , incidence (geometry) , coronary atherosclerosis , coronary artery disease , coronary heart disease , pathogenesis , disease , cause of death , physics , optics
The incidence of cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction associated with ischemic heart disease has declined over the past 15 years. Whether this is associated with a decrease in the severity of coronary atherosclerosis is unknown. The extent of coronary atherosclerosis in men was determined by postmortem coronary angiography in 505 patients over an observation period of 14 years. Patients were divided into those with ischemic heart disease (42%) and those without (58%). Mean coronary scores showed no significant trends over the 14‐year period in those without ischemic heart disease and for the last 10 years in those with ischemic heart disease. In those few patients evaluated early in the study with ischemic heart disease, a significantly lower coronary score was found compared to subsequent years. This study was performed during an era of declining cardiovas cular death rates and a declining incidence of myocardial infarction, and suggests that this decline may relate to favorable changes in pathogenesis rather than to a decrease in extent of coronary atherosclerosis.