Occurrence of coronary artery atherosclerosis in different age groups-An autopsy based study

Cardiovascular diseases especially ischemic heart disease is the most frequent cause of sudden and unexpected death that constitute a considerable portion of the autopsies conducted in our country. In the World population, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death. In Indians, Coronary artery disease occurs 5–10 years earlier than in other populations around the world. Recent studies indicate that the disease has escalated to younger age groups also. During the past three to four decades, the incidence of coronary artery disease has doubled to a significant extent. Coronary artery disease will soon emerge as the single largest disease accounting for nearly one-third of all deaths in India.