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Prevalence and Risk Factors for Angina in Elderly Taiwanese

¹ Department of Family Medicine, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Background. Angina is a hallmark symptom of cardiovascular disease, which has become an important public health issue in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of angina and its risk factors in elderly Taiwanese.

Methods. The study was based on a government-sponsored health examination performed in Tao-Yuan, North Taiwan, from April to June 2001. A total of 2060 participants aged 65 years and older were enrolled. Data were collected through a physician-conducted Rose questionnaire, a biochemical blood test, and a physical examination. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between angina and risk factors.

Results. Prevalence of angina was 15.0% in this study, 15.1% in men, and 14.4% in women. Women had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI), total serum cholesterol, and triglyceride. Participants with hypertension had a 1.6-fold 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2–2.0 increased risk of having angina, 1.4-fold (95% CI: 1.0–1.9) increased risk for men and 2.1-fold (95% CI: 1.3–3.5) for women. Diabetes mellitus was associated with a 1.8-fold (95% CI: 1.2–2.6) increase in the risk for men. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors such as BMI, cholesterol, triglyceride, and smoking were not significantly associated with angina.

Conclusions. The findings of this study suggest the need to prioritize hypertension treatment for elderly Taiwanese in both genders, and to provide adequate diabetes mellitus treatment for men, as these conditions are associated with the development of angina, a clinical indicator of cardiovascular disease.