ANGINA PECTORIS AND MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERLIPIDAEMIA IN BUSHEHR: A POPULATION-BASED STUDY

We estimated the prevalence of angina pectoris (AP) and myocardial infarction (MI) in the hyperlipidaemic population of Bushehr using the ROSE questionnaire and ECG changes using the Minnesota code. 1036 residents of Bushehr (in southern Iran), aged 30-64 years, were enrolled as part of a 2-year cross-sectional prevalence study of diabetes mellitus and other risk factors for coronary heart disease. All participants completed a ROSE questionnaire and underwent 12-lead electrocardiography. ECG strips were interpreted according to the Minnesota code. The criteria for diagnosing AP was grade 1 or 2 on the angina pectoris diagnostic scale, and for MI, code 1.1 of the Minnesota code or a history of myocardial infarction. The crude prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia was 47.6%, and its age-adjusted prevalence 50.3% in women and 43.9% in men. Mean serum cholesterol was 204.2±49.5mg/dl in women and 195.0±46.1 in men (p=0.003). The prevalence of AP was 4.9%, which, after adjustment for age, came to 5.6% in men and 4.6% in women. The prevalence of AP was 6.3% in subjects with high cholesterol and 3.6% in subjects with normal cholesterol levels (p<0.05). There was a strong association between AP and hypercholesterolaemia in men (p<0.0005). The crude prevalence of MI was 4.1% in subjects with hypercholesterolaemia and 0.9% in subjects with normal cholesterol (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis, MI was correlated with hypercholesterolaemia in both sexes (p<0.05). Similarly, MI in both men and women was associated with diabetes, and in men alone with hypertension (p<0.05). It is imperative to reduce the average cholesterol level of the population of Bushehr in order to decrease the incidence of AP and, ultimately, MI. Interventions to improve people s lifestyle are of one of the effective measures that may be used in this regard.