[Risk factors for atherosclerotic diseases in the Prospective Parisian Study I. Comparison with foreign studies].

Risk factors of clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis are compared in prospective studies, including the Paris Prospective Study I. Cholesterol and blood pressure are linked to the 3 manifestations of coronary heart disease (angina, infarction and sudden death), but tobacco is not linked to angina. Peripheral vascular diseases are associated with tobacco and, to a lesser extent, with blood pressure; the association with serum cholesterol is inconstant. Stroke is especially linked to blood pressure, but the association with cholesterol or tobacco differs between populations. The etiology of atherosclerosis seems variable according to clinical manifestations and populations.