Triglycerides and blood glucose are the major coronary risk factors in elderly Swedish men. The study of men born in 1913.

In 1980 we examined 707 67-year-old men, 656 of whom had no previous myocardial infarction. During 8 years of follow-up, 70 (10.7%) of the 656 men developed a first myocardial infarction or died from coronary heart disease (CHD). The incidence of CHD increased 1.6-fold from the lowest to the highest quintile of cholesterol levels, 2.7-fold from the lowest to the highest quintile of triglyceride levels, and 2.2-fold among those with diabetes. Blood pressure, smoking habits, and two measurements of obesity (body mass index and waist circumference) were not significantly related to the incidence of CHD. In multivariate analysis, serum triglyceride levels and blood glucose concentration remained as significant risk factors for CHD. This may reflect that disturbances in glucose and triglyceride metabolism (as part of a metabolic syndrome?) are more important CHD risk factors in older than in younger men.