ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data on the relative importance of various traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease among rural Indians. We conducted a prospective case-control study to determine the risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in a rural population of central India. METHODS: We recruited 111 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital with a first episode of acute myocardial infarction and 222 age- and sex-matched controls. Demographics, anthropometric measures, lipids, blood glucose, smoking and other lifestyle factors were compared among cases and controls. Multivariate analyses were used to identify the risk factors independently associated with acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Elevated fasting blood glucose (odds ratio [OR] 8.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.5, 17.9), abnormal waist-hip ratio (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.7, 5.4) and income (OR 4.0 and 5.9 for the high- and middle-income categories, compared to the lowest category) were independently associated with the first episode of acute myocardial infarction. Abnormal triglycerides (OR 1.7; 95% CI 0.9, 3.1) and current smoking (OR 1.9; 95% CI 0.9, 4.0) were risk factors but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Reduction in blood glucose levels and truncal obesity may be important in controlling the burden of coronary artery disease in rural Indians.