A study of cardiovascular risk factors in Delhi, India.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability of adults in urban and rural India, and occurs at younger age than in western populations. In this paper an attempt has been made to determine the risk factors for non- fatal AMI among Indian men and women and to study the difference in proportion of risk factors by taking non- AMI group along with healthy group as controls. Mantel Haenzel test showed that while comparing AMI with non-AMI group, diabetes mellitus (p < 0.05), family history of MI (p < 0.0001) and smoking (p < 0.0001) are significantly associated with AMI after adjusting the effects of hypertension. The same test was carried out in comparing AMI with healthy group which showed that diabetes mellitus (p < 0.05), family history of MI (p < 0.0001) and smoking (p < 0.0001) are significantly associated with AMI after adjusting the effects of hypertension. Similarly, while comparing CVD group with healthy group, family history of MI (p < 0.0001) and smoking (p < 0.0001) are significantly associated with CVD after adjusting the effects of hypertension. Stepwise logistic regression showed that while comparing AMI cases with non- AMI controls, arrhythmias (odds ratio (OR) = 5.196, p < 0.0001), angina (OR = 3.599, p < 0.0001), CHF (OR = 3.121, p < 0.0001), hypertension (OR = 2.717, p < 0.0001), smoking (OR = 1.993, p < 0.0001) and family history of MI (OR = 1.819, p < 0.01) were important risk factors for a first myocardial infarction. Moreover, while comparing AMI cases with healthy controls, family history of AMI (OR = 15.925, p < 0.0001), smoking (OR = 2.806, p < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 2.718, p < 0.0001), gender (OR = 2.410, p < 0.01) and age (OR = 2.410, p < 0.05) were important predictors of AMI; and while comparing CVD cases (AMI and non-AMI) with healthy group, family history of MI (OR = 10.377, p < 0.01), hypertension (OR = 8.237, p < 0.01) and smoking (OR = 4.454, p < 0.01), were important predictors of cardiovascular disease.