Natural history of angina pectoris, possible previous myocardial infarction and intermittent claudication during the eighth decade. A longitudinal epidemiologic study.

A ten-year longitudinal cardiovascular survey of an unselected population of 70- and 80-year-old men and women was carried out as part of the Glostrup Population Studies in Denmark. With small reservations, the population at entry was representative of the Danish people of that age group, and representative in terms of mortality during the following decade. The prevalences of three major cardiovascular symptoms are given together with their courses, incidences and relationship to some common cardiovascular risk factors. At 70, the prevalence of angina pectoris was 10% in men and 5% in women, the corresponding values for possible previous myocardial infarction being 5% and 3%, and for intermittent claudication 9% and 3%, with statistically significant differences between the sexes for any of the three symptoms. At 80, the prevalences of all three symptoms in women had risen to equal that of men, which had not changed. Total ten-year mortality was significantly increased among men who had confirmed angina pectoris or possible previous myocardial infarction at 70 and among women who had confirmed intermittent claudication. Ten-year mortality from all cardiovascular diseases, and also from acute myocardial infarction alone, showed exactly the same pattern. In those examined at both 70 and 80, the ten-year incidences of the three symptoms were 3-11%. Few participants who had confirmed a symptom at 70 denied it at 80.