[Coronary disease in black Africans: epidemiology, risk factors, clinical symptomatology and coronarography, evolution]. 1992

E Bertrand
Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, Hôpital Nord.

The study of the epidemiological data (published since 1952) seems to show an increasing frequency of the coronary disease for 15 last years. But this incidence seems to reach a stable level about 6 to 7% of the cardiovascular diseases at the Abidjan Institute of Cardiology; and 3.17% in a study in 13 countries but without coronarography (except at the Abidjan Institute). The study of the risk factors show that they are the same ones than in Europa. The risk index in Black Africa was 2.1 to 2.7 risk factor patient. These numbers are lesser than the risk index noted in France (3.6 in coronary patients and 1.9 in non-coronary subjects). The signs of the disease show that myocardial infarctions were frequent (48.8%) and often were the first manifestations of the coronary disease (40%). Angina pectoris was observed in 32.2%, an ischemic cardiomyopathy in 6.6% and a ventricular aneurysm in 6.6%. A silent ischemia was observed in 5.5% among at risk diabetic patients. The in-hospital mortality after myocardial infarction was 15% and was the same in European and African patients. But the mortality in Africans was greater than in Europeans the next years. Coronarography showed that 18.8% of the patients with coronary disease had normal coronary arteries. The arteries were also normal in 19.9% of the patients examined after an infarction. These high percentages can be related to coronary arterial spasms or to recanalized thrombosis. A spontaneous spasm was observed in 6.6% of the patients (a provoked coronary arterial spasm was not studied. The coronary arterial lesion was an one artery disease in 38.8% of the coronary patients and 50% of the patients with infarction. The stenosis were frequently proximal (82.6%) and the anterior descending artery was interested in 45.6%. Ventricular aneurysms were observed in 56.6% and the ejection fraction was lower than 0.50 in 63.3%. These data permit to compare the myocardial infarction of Blacks with the myocardial infarction of the young occidental men. We can think that thrombolysis or angioplasty would be very useful but they are often impossible in the Black African conditions.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D003327 Coronary Disease An imbalance between myocardial functional requirements and the capacity of the CORONARY VESSELS to supply sufficient blood flow. It is a form of MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA (insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle) caused by a decreased capacity of the coronary vessels. Coronary Heart Disease,Coronary Diseases,Coronary Heart Diseases,Disease, Coronary,Disease, Coronary Heart,Diseases, Coronary,Diseases, Coronary Heart,Heart Disease, Coronary,Heart Diseases, Coronary
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000349 Africa The continent south of EUROPE, east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN and west of the INDIAN OCEAN.
D012307 Risk Factors An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent. Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D015994 Incidence The number of new cases of a given disease during a given period in a specified population. It also is used for the rate at which new events occur in a defined population. It is differentiated from PREVALENCE, which refers to all cases in the population at a given time. Attack Rate,Cumulative Incidence,Incidence Proportion,Incidence Rate,Person-time Rate,Secondary Attack Rate,Attack Rate, Secondary,Attack Rates,Cumulative Incidences,Incidence Proportions,Incidence Rates,Incidence, Cumulative,Incidences,Person time Rate,Person-time Rates,Proportion, Incidence,Rate, Attack,Rate, Incidence,Rate, Person-time,Rate, Secondary Attack,Secondary Attack Rates
D017023 Coronary Angiography Radiography of the vascular system of the heart muscle after injection of a contrast medium. Angiography, Coronary,Angiographies, Coronary,Coronary Angiographies

Related Publications

E Bertrand
September 1998, East African medical journal,
E Bertrand
May 2007, Journal of human hypertension,
E Bertrand
December 1993, Journal of human hypertension,
E Bertrand
January 1975, Journal de radiologie, d'electrologie, et de medecine nucleaire,
E Bertrand
January 1975, Annales de medecine interne,
E Bertrand
December 1981, Archives des maladies du coeur et des vaisseaux,
Copied contents to your clipboard!