[Elevated coronary mortality in Mauritius: risk factors and genetic analyses].

In 1986, early mortality by acute myocardial infarction was found to be much higher in Mauritius than in the United States, among both males and females. For example, among 40-to-44 year olds there were 109 deaths/100,000 males per year in Mauritius, compared to only 34.5/100,000 in the U S.

Lack of association of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and premature myocardial infarction in Mauritian Indians.

Eighty-five young Mauritian Indians, male survivors of premature myocardial infarction (MI) and thus belonging to a high risk group, were compared with 108 stringently selected controls for a possible association between premature MI and an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the gene encoding angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The frequency of the D allele was 0.42 in the MI group and 0.

A new visual analogue scale for assessment of dyspnoea in congestive heart failure.

A new (quality of life) visual analogue scale of dyspnoea has been designed to evaluate the severity of dyspnoea in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The index has 10 numerical values, rated on a scale from 0-10, each value corresponding to an intensity of breathlessness. Since dyspnoea is a primary symptom that restricts the quality of life in patients with congestive heart failure, the new scale provided a simple, easily comprehensible and inexpensive instrument to assess the severity of breathlessness.

Insertion/deletion polymorphism within a polyadenylate stretch at the human atrial natriuretic peptides (hANP) gene locus.

A novel 8-bp bi-allelic insertion/deletion polymorphism is described within a polyadenylate stretch in the second intron of the human atrial natriuretic peptide gene locus. This new marker is located in the candidate gene for familial susceptibility to hypertension.