Abstract

Background: The incidence of coronary heart disease has markedly increased in India over the past few years. Ischemic heart disease, the largest cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed and developing countries today, is overwhelmingly contributed by atherosclerosis.

Objectives: The study was done to determine the burden of atherosclerotic lesions in the population of Ajmer district. This study also highlights the various grades of atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries and the relationship of atherosclerosis with myocardial infarction (MI).

Materials and Methods: We studied atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries in cases subjected to autopsy in last 5 years, to grade and to evaluate the atheromatous plaques; and to assess the cases of MI among them. The study comprises dissected specimens of heart in total 600 cases subjected for an autopsy. The vessels were examined for the presence of atherosclerotic lesions which were graded according to the American Heart Association and examined for evidence of MI.

Results: The study comprises the cases in the age group between 0 to 80 years. The most common type of atherosclerosis seen was Grade 5. Left anterior descending coronary was most commonly involved artery. MI was the cause of death in 75 cases (12.5%). The data obtained may form a baseline for the forthcoming studies.

Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of cardiovascular risk factors screening from early ages of third decades. Our study aids valuable data to the literature regarding the morphology of atherosclerotic lesions.

Key words: Atherosclerosis; Autopsy; Coronary Plaque; Infarction