Risk factors for ischaemic heart disease in men and women. Results of the 19-year follow-up of the Stockholm Prospective Study.

In this 19-year follow-up of the Stockholm Prospective Study (SPS), 321 male and 55 female deaths from myocardial infarction (MI) had occurred. Fasting levels of plasma triglycerides acted as an independent risk factor for this cause of death in both sexes, which was the primary question asked when the SPS was designed. Other independent risk factors for MI were for men and women age, systolic blood pressure, smoking and for men only, plasma cholesterol, haemoglobin and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.