MODERN APPROACHES TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is a serious clinical problem. Clinicians dealing with patients can make a diagnosis of coronary disease in several ways. Unfortunately all too often the diagnosis is made via sudden death or acute myocardial infarction. At other times the diagnosis is made by evaluation of patients with symptoms-usually symptoms of angina or anginal equivalents. The great clinical and epidemiologic challenge of the coming years is to recognize that education and evaluation of persons with no symptoms or signs of coronary disease, but with risk factors for it, can and should be a focus of major efforts to reduce the number one cause of death in our society. © 1992.