ARTERIOGRAPHIC INCIDENCE OF CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE IN BLACK-MEN WITHCHEST PAIN

To determine the incidence of arteriographically proven coronary arter y disease in black men evaluated for chest pain, we retrospectively re viewed the charts of 208 black men, aged 20 to 60, who had coronary ar teriography at the Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) from 1985 through January 1990. Age, type of chest pain, and risk factors common ly accepted as associated with coronary disease (hypertension, family history, left ventricular hypertrophy, diabetes, smoking, and hypercho lesterolemia) were identified for each patient. Patients were categori zed by previous evidence of coronary disease: 145 were studied to eval uate suspected disease and 63 to evaluate previously proven (prior cat heterization) or presumptive (prior myocardia! infarction) disease. Ch est pain groups (typical and atypical angina) were analyzed by Pearson chi-square goodness of fit using the Diamond and Forrester age and ch est pain tables as a model. Risk factors were analyzed using a maximum likelihood chi-square test. Coronary artery disease was common in the study group (48.6% of all patients) but significantly less than predi cted by the Diamond and Forrester tables. Risk factors were highly pre valent, but only age and smoking were associated with catheterization- proven coronary artery disease in this group. We conclude that coronar y artery disease is common in black men evaluated for chest pain but l ess frequent than would be expected from comparison with findings in w hite men presenting similar clinical features. Risk factors other than age and smoking were not associated with increased incidence of disea se. A prospective study is needed to delineate a more effective means of evaluating black male patients with chest pain.