Study of risk factors for Ischaemic heart disease in middle aged women

ABSTRACT

This is a prospective study conducted to examine the relationships of obesity, lipids and apolipoproteins, menopausal status, prior combined oral contraceptive [COC] use, and parity with the risk for ischemic heart disease [IHD] among middle aged women. A total of 160 women, aged 35 to 59 years were recruited, 100 cases with IHD, and 60 healthy women as controls. High apolipoprotein-B [Apo-B], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], and high triglyceride [TG] levels, were found to have independent influence on the risk of developing IHD in the studied cases. Other risk factors that were found to have significant relation to IHD were increased body mass index [BMI], postmenopause particularly before 50 years, increased low- density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], increased total cholesterol [TC], decreased apolipoprotein-A-I [Apo-A-I]. Parity and prior combined oral contraceptive use were not found to be significant risk factors. An equation including all the studied factors was suggested to be used for prediction of IHD in middle-aged women