Myocardial Infarction Among Southwestern American Indians

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Abstract
In a 10-year study of southwestern American Indians, myocardial infarction was discovered only about 1/4 as often as expected from the Framingham Study experience with Caucasians. The mean annual infarction rate for the southwestern Indians over 30 years of age was 86.8/100,000, compared to the estimated 347.8/100,000 for the Framingham Study. During this study myocardial infarcts were discovered in 138 Indians from an estimated population of 48,196, of whom 15,905 were over 30 years of age. Diabetes mellitus and obesity vary in frequency among the tribes, and may relate to tribal differences in the prevalence of myocardial infarction. Cigarette smoking and hypercholesterolemia are infrequent in southwestern Indians, and hypertension is probably less extensive in most tribes than for the general population. The decreased prevalence of these 3 coronary heart disease risk factors correlates with the apparently low rate of myocardial infarction. The regular participation in physical activities and a relative in-frequency of competitive stressful situations may be important protective influences against the development of myocardial infarction in Indians of the Southwest.