The Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease in Tehranian Adults: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

Current data on the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and its associated risk factors in urban Iranian population are scarce. This study used the data from the cross-sectional phase of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) conducted between 1999 and 2001. Subjects completed a standard Rose questionnaire about the history of CHD and angina pectoris. The data of standard supine ECGs obtained from 5984 men and women aged ≥30 were collected and coded according to the Minnesota criteria. All relevant data including anthropometric variables, fasting and 2-hour serum glucose (OGGT), and fasting serum lipids were also collected. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associated risk factors of CHD. The age-adjusted prevalence of angina pectoris, history of CHD, and ECG-defined CHD was 10.7%, 6%, and 11.8%, respectively. Subjects aged ≥ 65 years had 62% higher prevalence of angina, more than 4-fold higher prevalence of history of CHD, and 2.7-fold higher prevalence of ECGdefined CHD (all P values < 0.001) in comparison to the population aged 30 – 64 years. Women had significantly higher prevalence of angina pectoris (P < 0.001) and men had higher rate of self-reported history of CHD (P < 0.01). The age-adjusted prevalence of CHD, based on the presence of any of the three conditions mentioned earlier, was 21.8%, 22.3%, and 18.8% in women and men, respectively (P = 0.05). Female sex, age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, 2-hour serum glucose, and the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol were independent risk factors associated with CHD. These results demonstrate that CHD remains an important public health problem among the urban Iranian population, especially among women. An urgent national program needs to be implemented to reduce CHD risk factors by modifying diet and increasing physical activity.