[Coronary heart disease in the elderly; the ERGO study (Erasmus Rotterdam Health and the Elderly)].

Objective. To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among elderly people and to investigate the use of cardiovascular medication in this group. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. A quarter in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Methods. As a part of the 'Rotterdam elderly study', the cardiovascular anamnesis of 7,983 responding persons ≥55 years (3105 men and 4878 women) was obtained by means of a questionnaire. Results. Twelve and 4% of men and women, respectively, had at some time had a myocardial infarction, and 5 and 4% a stroke. Almost 7% of both sexes had anamnestic symptoms of angina pectoris. Coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were done in 4% and 1% of men and 1% and 0,5% of women, respectively. Of all participants 43% used at least one drug for cardiovascular purposes. Half of these used two or more, and a quarter used three or more drugs. Among women, diuretics were the most commonly used drug for cardiovascular purposes (21%), whereas among men beta-blocking agents were most common (15%). Conclusion. Cardiovascular diseases are common among elderly men and women. Many of them take at least one drug for cardiovascular purposes.