Atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries among the autopsied cases above the age of forty in a tertiary care centre, North Kerala

Back ground: Atherosclerosis also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease or ASVD is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fattymaterials such as cholesterol. It is a syndrome affecting arterial blood vessels (Ruffer, 1619). The basic mechanism is stenosis or occlusion of one or more branches of the coronary arteries by atheromatous lesions or one of the complications of such a lesion. Objective: To study the occurrence of atherosclerosis in coronary arterysegments in the autopsied patients above the age of 40 Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode over a period of 01/01/2012 to 12/03/2012. A total number of 100 cases were analysed during the study. The criteria for selection were men and women above the age of 40 during the period of study. Results: Among the 100 subjects studied,simple atheroma was seen in 38%cases, plaque rupture with thrombosis in 5% , coronary artery calcification as well as calcified atheroma in13% and 44% showed fatty streaks. Atheromatous changes were seen more among the males and the association was found to be significant, but there were no association found between age and changes like atheroma and thrombosis secondary to atherosclerosis, but coronary artery calcification and calcified atheroma was more among the age group more than sixty. Conclusion: The main atherosclerotic change seen above the age forty was simple atheroma and it was associated with males.