CASE-CONTROL STUDY ON MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

This case-control study was made in orderto study the risk factors for coronary heartdisease(CHD).Patients who survived acutestage of myocardial infarction(MI)diagnosedwith certainty clinically were chosen as indexcases.Controls were matched in sex andoccupation,with an age difference of less than5 years.They were free from evidence of CHDand had negative electrocardiographic exercisetests.Altogether,200 consecutive MI cases ad-mitted to our hospitals were investigated.Theyincluded 179 males and 21 females.Averageages of patients and controls were 60.5 and 60.3years.Association of hypertension with myocardialinfarction is tar greater than with controls.Therelative risk is 5.5-7.6 depending on the hyper-tension diagnostic criteria.There is also ahigher association between cigarette smokingand MI with relative risk at 3.6.No associationis found with serum cholesterol level,bodyweight index,quantities of meat or rice intake,sleep,physical exercise,past history of diabetesmellitus or CHD family history.Hypertensionand smoking are apparently the MI risk factorsin this part of China.