case-control study of the incidence of coronary heart disease risk factors in Saudis at Al-Madina Al-Mounawarah

ABSTRACT

A total of 136 Saudi subjects [68 patients with coronary heart disease [CHD] and an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls] were studied in detail for the incidence of CHD risk factors. The following are the percentages of patients with risk factors found significantly more frequently than in controls [together with p-value and 95% confidence interval] hypertension 42%, <0.01 [6-37%]; diabetes mellitus 41%, <0.046 [2-33%]; cigarette smoking 24%, <0.046 [2-27%]; hypertriglyceridaemia 32%, <0.001 [1-37%]; hyperuricaemia 45%, <0.001 [19-50%].The incidence of the following risk factors were not significantly different in patients and controls alcohol consumption; family history of premature CHD; lack of physical activity; raised total cholesterol [TC] and low density lipoprotein [LDL] and obesity as assessed by the mean Body Mass Index [BMI]. Perhaps the recently reported qualitative blood lipid abnormalities, e.g. apolipoprotein, need to be investigated in Saudis with CHD