Prevalence of clinical and electrocardiographic evidence of ischaemic heart disease in the older population

Abstract

In 487 subjects aged 62 to goyears who formed a random sample of the 27,000 older people living in a defined area of Edinburgh, the prevalence of positive responses to Rose's questionnaire on angina and infarction and of coded electrocardiographic abnormalities was recorded as part of a clinical survey, including blood pressure, height, weight, skin fold thickness, heart size, and presence of cardiac murmurs. The results were compared with similar data available in younger age groups. A history of angina was given by Io per cent of the sample. Electrocardiographic abnormalities strongly suggestive of ischaemic heart disease were present in 6per cent and others possibly due to ischaemic heart disease in a further 24 per cent. Forty-four per cent of subjects had no codable electrocardiographic abnormality. Electrocardiographic evidence of ischaemic heart disease increased with age. Smoking habits, obesity, and hypertension were unrelated to manifestations of ischaemic heart disease in this group. The pattern of left axis deviation was present in 8 8 per cent and exceeded -45° in 4.4 per cent of the sample.