Trends over the last 20 years in the clinical background of young Japanese patients with coronary artery disease.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence, pathogenesis, and clinical background of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients aged 40 years or less in Japan are not well understood.


RESULTS
Temporal trends in the clinical background, including growth from childhood, of young patients with CAD over the last 20 years were examined. The study group comprised 38 patients who were 40 years of age or less (7 patients in 1980-84, phase I; 10 patients in 1985-89, phase II; 10 patients in 1990-94, phase III; 11 patients in 1995-99, phase IV). Among the classic coronary risk factors, obesity significantly increased in prevalence. An increase in patients with multiple risk factors was seen (0, 10%, 20%, and 36% in phases I, II, III, and IV, respectively). There was no significant change in the prevalence of familial hypercholesterolemia, sequelae of Kawasaki disease or vasospastic angina. All phase III and IV patients with multiple risk factors had moderate to severe obesity, and 83% had been overweight since childhood.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the number of young patients with CAD because of multiple risk factors has been increasing, and most of them have been overweight since childhood. Thus, for primary prevention it is essential to control cardiovascular risk factors in overweight children.
Imamura
Hiroshi
H
Department of Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan. imamura@hsp.md.shinshu-u.ac.jp
Izawa
Atsushi
A
Kai
Ryuichi
R
Yokoseki
Osamu
O
Uchikawa
Shin-ichiro
S
Yazaki
Yoshikazu
Y
Kinoshita
Osamu
O
Hongo
Minoru
M
Kubo
Keishi
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000792:Angiography; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors