Coronary artery disease and coronary bypass grafting in young men: experience with 138 subjects 39 years of age and younger

One hundred thirty-eight men aged less than or equal to 39 years had coronary bypass grafting during a 13 year period. Angina was the presenting symptom in 77% and of these patients, one-third had unstable angina. More than half of the patients had experienced at least one myocardial infarct. There was a high incidence of coronary risk factors, especially smoking. Nineteen patients (13.8%) had left main coronary artery stenosis (it was isolated in two); 13.8, 24.6 and 60.2% had single, double and triple vessel disease, respectively. Left ventriculograms showed serious functional impairment in 42%. A total of 461 coronary bypass grafts, 3.34 per patient, were placed; almost all were vein grafts. There were no operative deaths. Transmural myocardial infarction occurred in 4.3% of patients. All bypass grafts were opacified angiographically early after operation, 95% at 1 year, 56% at 5 years and 26% at 10 years after operation. Some patients also had coronary angiograms, dictated by clinical events, between 1 and 5 and between 5 and 10 years postoperatively. Patency rates for bypass grafts were comparable with those previously reported and were acceptable, although they decreased with time. However, increasing evidence of atherosclerosis of bypass grafts was seen beyond 1 year, particularly beyond 5 years. Of 23 subjects with a coronary bypass reoperation, 2 died and 44% had perioperative transmural myocardial infarction. During follow-up, 13.8% of the patients died, survival being 95, 84 and 76% at 5, 10 and 12 years, respectively. It is considered that the patients were advantageously treated with coronary bypass grafting especially in the short-term. However, bypass graft patency steadily decreased with the passage of time and graft atherosclerosis became an increasingly important problem.     

Coronary risk profiles in men with coronary artery disease: effects of body composition, fat distribution, age and fitness

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the influence of body composition, abdominal obesity, age and fitness on coronary risk factors in populations of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). We investigated whether abdominal obesity or generalized adiposity is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk in men with coronary artery disease (CAD), and the effects of exercise training on coronary risk factors in younger and older patients with CAD. METHODS: The study population consisted of 81 male patients aged 33-83 years (mean +/- SD 60.0 +/- 13.3 years) with established CAD. We studied the relationships among body composition, body fat distribution, dietary intake, peak aerobic capacity, lipid concentrations, and plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. We subsequently measured the influence of exercise training on these components. RESULTS: The study population was characterized by a high prevalence of obesity, particularly in younger patients. Body mass index, rather than body fat distribution, was the best anthropometric predictor of plasma triglyceride concentrations (r2 = 0.11, P < 0.05) and cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (r2 = 0.13, P < 0.01). Body weight, rather than body fat distribution, was the best predictor of plasma HDL-C concentration (r2 = 0.14, P < 0.01) and fasting glucose concentrations (r2 = 0.10, P < 0.05). Fat mass was the best anthropometric predictor of fasting plasma insulin concentrations (r2 = 0.38, P < 0.0001) and for the glucose-insulin ratio (r2 = 0.39, P < 0.0001) in men with CAD. Younger patients tended to have greater improvements in HDL-C concentrations and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio than did older individuals, as a result of exercise training. CONCLUSION: In men with CAD, general measures of obesity, such as body weight, body mass index, and fat mass are better predictors of coronary risk factors than body fat distribution. Younger and older men with CAD experienced similar improvements in body composition and body fat distribution after an exercise training program.     

Coronary artery narrowing in coronary heart disease: comparison of cineangiographic and necropsy findings.

Of 10 patients with fatal coronary heart disease undergoing coronary angiography 0 to 69 d (average, 21) before necropsy, the amount of narrowing in 61 coronary arteries observed angiographically (diameter reduction) during life by three angiographers was compared with that observed histologically (cross-sectional area) at necropsy. No overestimations of the degree of narrowing were made angiographically. Of 11 coronary arteries or their subdivisions narrowed 0 to 50% in cross-sectional area histologically, none were underestimated angiographically; of eight narrowed 51% to 75% histologically, seven had been underestimated, and of 42 narrowed 76% to 100% histologically, 17 were underestimated angiographically. The coronary atherosclerotic plaquing was diffuse (greater than 25% cross-sectional area narrowing) in 90% of 467 five-millimetre segments of coronary artery examined (24 cm per patient), and this diffuseness of the atherosclerotic process seems to be the major reason for angiographic underestimation of coronary narrowings.     

青年男性冠状动脉病临床与冠状动脉造影分析

目的 探讨青年男性（〈４０岁）心绞痛临床与冠状动脉造影（ＣＡＧ）的特点。方法 将９０例青年男性心绞痛患者按心肌梗塞（ＭＩ）（２０例）、典型心绞痛（３４例）、不典型心绞痛（３６例）分为三组并行ＣＡＧ。结果 有冠状动脉病变（ＣＡＤ）者４７例（５２．２％）。ＭＩ组１８例（９０％）,典型组２２例（６４．７％）,不典型组７例（１９．４％）。三组之间ＣＡＤ检出率比较有显著性差异,ＭＩ组〉典型组〉不典型组。冠脉     

Lipid and carbohydrate disturbances in men with coronary artery disease according to age

The aim of this study was to search for the factors favouring the revealing of a coronary artery disease by comparing selected lipids and carbohydrate parameters between two groups--younger and older men with coronary artery disease. Into the study were included 60 men with stable angina confirmed by coronarography (at least 6 months after CABG, PTC A or myocardial infraction, with EF > 40%) and 33 men without atherosclerotic changes in the coronary vasseles as the control group. The two groups were divided depending on age: the younger subgroup [(under 60-ty years old-group: A with CAD, n = 30) and (B without CAD, n = l8)] and older subgroup [(over 70 years old-group: C with CAD, n = 30) and (D without CAD, n = 15)]. Men of middle age were not included. Serum semples were analyzed for the concentration of lipids parameters including apolipoprotein AI and B. The oral glucose tolerance test was carried out for all patients. In control groups (B and C) in comparison to the groups with CAD (A and C) was observed significantly higher concentration of the HDL cholesterol (by abouth 28% in younger men and 16% in older men (r with CAD = 0.40) and ApoAI (respectively by about 17% and 12.5%, r = 0.47). Weak, but positive corelation with the presence of coronary heart disease was shown for fasting glucose concentration. The younger and older men with CAD (A vs C) statistically significantly differed in concentration of HDL (a.v. 9.1 +/- 6.2 vs 46.7 +/- 11,7 ng/dl) and strongly correlated with HDL ApoAI (av. 137.6 +/- 12.6 vs 146.6 +/- 21.5 ng/dl). The negative family history was more often in younger patients.     

Coronary artery disease in young women and men with long-standing insulin-dependent diabetes

The prevalence and predictors of coronary artery disease were examined in people aged 40 years and younger with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Analysis was performed on those who presented between 1999 and 2003 for kidney and/or pancreas transplant at the University of Minnesota, as all patients who have diabetes mellitus are required to have perioperative cardiology evaluation. The mean age was 33.5 +/- 4.4 years for 88 subjects, all had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and 33% were dialysis dependent. Severe coronary artery disease was found in 18.2% of women and in 24.2% of men. Three-vessel coronary artery disease trended less in women (9.1%) compared with men (12.1%). Multivariate predictors for severe and 3-vessel coronary artery disease included prior coronary artery disease, hypertension duration, and ST-T wave changes on electrocardiogram. Coronary artery disease is twice as high as expected in young woman. Studies on early management for atherosclerosis are warranted in this high-risk population.