Morphological Spectrum of Changes in Coronaries of Non-Cardiac Deaths: An Autopsy Study"

Abstract

 Introduction: Atherosclerosis is a major public health problem all over the world. Every year thousands of people die due to the causes related to cardiovascular system especially the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis is characterised by fibro fatty changes in the intima of medium sized arteries Aims & Objecctives:  The aims and objectives of present study are to study the autopsy cases for atherosclerotic changes in coronaries of heart, its correlation with age and to study the morphology of such lesions. Materials & Methods: The study comprised of heart specimens from autopsy cases in which the cause of death was not related to cardiac cause. Gross and microscopic features were studied for any atherosclerotic changes. Data was compiled to look for prevalence of atherosclerosis in general population. American Heart Association classification was used to grade the lesions. Results: This study showed a significant number of cases with atherosclerotic changes varying from mild grade 1 lesion to severe complicated plaques. Age range was all the cases above 18 years of age. There was no limitation for upper age limit but in our study we got cases from 18 years to 65 years. Conclusion: Atherosclerotic changes can start at very early age. There is a need to modify lifestyle in order to avoid morbidity and mortality related to atherosclerosis.