NATURAL-HISTORY OF AORTIC AND CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROTIC LESIONS IN YOUGH - FINDINGS FROM THE PDAY STUDY

Pathology laboratories in nine cooperating centers collected arteries from 1532 persons 15 through 34 years of age who died of external caus es, principally homicides, accidents, and suicides. A central laborato ry stained the arteries and evaluated the atherosclerotic lesions. All of the aortas and about half of the right coronary arteries in the yo ungest age group (15 through 19 years) had lesions. The mean percent i ntimal surface involved by lesions, in 5-year age groups, increased fr om 15 through 34 years. Raised lesions increased with age in extent an d prevalence in the aorta and the right coronary artery. Black subject s had more extensive fatty streaks than white subjects in all three ar terial segments. Young women had more extensive fatty streaks in the a bdominal aorta; young men had more in the thoracic aorta. Male subject s had more extensive and a higher prevalence of raised lesions than di d female subjects in the right coronary artery. White and black subjec ts did not differ significantly in the extent of raised lesions. Among the three arterial segments, the right coronary had the least percent age of intimal surface involved with all types of lesions but had the highest proportion of raised lesions among total lesions. These result s confirm the origin of atherosclerosis in childhood and show that the prevalence and extent of fatty streaks and fibrous plaques increase r apidly during the 15- through 34-year age span.