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 surve yed. Selection of the groups was based on socioeconomic status and com prised urban and rural blacks, Indians of higher and lower socio-econo mic status, coloureds of higher and lower socioeconomic status, and mi ddle-class whites. Both Indian groups, both coloured groups and the wh ites had a much greater prevalence and severity of CHD risk factors th an the two black groups. This held for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDLC), the HDLC/ILDLC ratio, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, ins ulin, 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 te nded to be worse in urban than in rural blacks. These findings stress the need to reduce CHD risk factors in our developed populations and t o prevent their emergence in our developing peoples.