[Environmental pollution with lead and myocardial infarction morbidity].

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of exposure to ambient lead and other environmental factors on first myocardial infarction incidence. Epidemiological case-control study comprised 579 male cases (25-64 year old) of myocardial infarction, treated in Kaunas hospitals and 1777 controls of the same age group without ischemic heart disease. Myocardial infarction incidence in the area of low exposure to lead was 2.34 per 1000, while in the high exposure area it was 2.61 per 1000. We determined the distribution of potential myocardial infarction risk factors among cases and controls and calculated corresponding crude odds ratios. Variables considered for inclusion in multivariate logistic regression model were those with higher prevalence among cases and values of odds ratios greater than 1.5. The analysis revealed that smoking, arterial hypertension and stress significantly increased the risk of first myocardial infarction among 25-64 year old men. Occupational exposure to chemical substances increased myocardial infarction risk by 26%, while residential exposure to ambient lead concentrations, exceeding 0.225 microg/m (3), tended to increase myocardial infarction risk by 12% (95% PI 0.94-1.34).