Atherosclerosis of Coronary Arteries as Predisposing Factor in Myocardial Infarction: An Autopsy Study

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. The study highlights the impact of atherosclerotic lesions in the population of Rajkot district. We studied atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries in cases subjected to autopsy in last 4 years, to grade and to evaluate the atheromatous plaques; and to assess the cases of myocardial infarction amongst them. The study comprises dissected specimens of heart in total 360 cases subjected for autopsy. The vessels were examined for the presence of atherosclerotic lesions which were graded according to American Heart Association and examined for evidence of myocardial infarction. The study comprises the cases in age group between 20 to 80 years. Commonest type of atherosclerosis seen was grade-4. Left Anterior Descending Coronary was most commonly involved artery. Myocardial infarction was the cause of death in 35 cases (9.72%) The data obtained may form a baseline for the forthcoming studies.