Selected risk factors for coronary heart disease in male scholars from the major South African population groups.
A number of risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in 7 groups of South African male scholars aged between 15 and 20 years were surveyed. Selection of the groups was based on socioeconomic status and comprised urban and rural blacks, Indians of higher and lower socio-economic status, coloureds of higher and lower socioeconomic status, and middle-class whites. Both Indian groups, both coloured groups and the whites had a much greater prevalence and severity of CHD risk factors than the two black groups. This held for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), the HDLC/LDLC ratio, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, insulin, fibrinogen and mass. One exception was lipoprotein a, levels of which were higher in both black groups. In general the CHD risk factor profile was worse in the higher socio-economic groups, and it also tended to be worse in urban than in rural blacks. These findings stress the need to reduce CHD risk factors in our developed populations and to prevent their emergence in our developing peoples.
Seftel
H C
HC
Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Asvat
M S
MS
Joffe
B I
BI
Raal
F J
FJ
Panz
V R
VR
Vermaak
W J
WJ
Loock
M E
ME
Rajput
M C
MC
Omar
M A
MA
Jeenah
M S
MS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014505:Urban Population