Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of human mortality worldwide. Myocardial ischemia is a type of cardiovascular disease that increases with age spread. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare non-invasive myocardial ischemia in patients with heart problems in different age groups.
Methods: This study is a causal-comparative study was conducted from July to October 2016 in the University of Mazandaran. One hundred and seventy-five (age=45-59 years) and 124 (age=60-77 years) men with heart problem participated in this study. The questionnaires of Rose angina pectoris (for assessing the risk of ischemic myocardium), lifestyle and physical activity level were completed by the participants. In addition, the anthropometric characteristics, blood pressure and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) of the participants were measured.
Results: The risk of myocardial ischemia in men aged 60-77 years was significantly higher than men aged 45-59 years (P=0.049). Men aged 60-77 years were significantly lower in good indices (physical activity level, VO2peak and more lifestyle indices) and higher in bad indicators (waist/hip ratio, body shape index, ankle systolic blood pressure, brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressure) than men aged 45-59 years (P<0.031, for all variables). Also, there was no significant difference in the risk of ischemia between groups, when they were similar in physical activity level.
Conclusion: It seems that the higher risk of myocardial ischemia in men aged 60-77 years, as compared to men aged 45-59 years, might be related to aging process and imbalance in the risk factors. Promoting physical activity can favorably affect the risk of myocardial ischemia in the middle-aged or elderly men. It is concluded that physical activity effectively decreased the risk of myocardial ischemia.
