Hardening of arteries is studied by scientists: Pathologists Meet at LSU Medical School

              Three Latin American scientists agreed here Tuesday that people in the United States apparently develop hardening of the arteries at an earlier age than people of Latin America.
Asked why this is so, the trio —Drs. Carlos Tejada, Carlos Restrepo and Miguel Guzman, became very cautious as is the habit of scientists.
They said it might be due to certain environmental factors, such as the people of the US eating more animal fat or worrying more. Or, they added, it might be due to hereditary factors.
The Latin American pathologists, all of whom are connected with the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, are in New Orleans conferring with scientists -at the LQUi§iana-Staie. university medical school. Together INCAP and LSU are taking the lead in a worldwide study of early arterial changes leading to heart attacks.
ARTERIES BROUGHT
As part of this study, the Latin Americans brought to New Orleans with them for grading 857 human arteries. These arteries will be checked for fat content, for scar tissue, for calcium and for blood clots.
Dr. Tejada, who is chief of the department of pathology for INCAP, said he believes environmental factors are more important than hereditary fac-
tors in causing hardening of the arteries.
"Why do people in the US develop hardening of the arteries at an earlier age? Well, it might be that in the US people lack time in which to accomplish | everything they wish to aceom-i plish. This may lead to more tension, more worry."
Dr. Tejada said, 'In the high social classes in Latin America, hardening of the arteries is about the same as it is in the US."
This," he added, "would indicate that the high social classes worry more and eat more fat Also the lower classes m Latin America do more physical work. Which seems to indicate that physical work and ack of worry retard hardening of the arteries."
Dr. Tejada said the type of fat :onsumed in the diet may also be important.
"In Latin America," he explained, "the use of vegetable :at, such as corn oil, is more lommon than it is in the US. [n this country practically all the fat is of animal origin or is saturated fat."
Dr. Guzman, who is statistician for the group, said during ;he past five months 1640 ar-;eries have been collected for grading and study by leaders of ;he project. He said they came from 12 localities.
Also on hand for the meeting at LSU is Dr. John Moossy, associate professor of pathology at LSU, who is presently staioned in Belgium where he is serving as director of the cerebral vascular disease study of
e World Federation of Neurologists.
Since last July Dr. Moossy has been busy setting up a small pilot study in Belgium.
"We want to find out whether manifestations of hardening of the arteries differ in different nations" he explained. "We! want to find out if populations or the way they live have any effect on the arteries."
In order to carry out this pilot study, Dr. Moossy added, arteries are being collected from Europe and Asia with special emphasis on arteries of the brain and the heart.
The visiting scientists were welcomed at LSU medical school by Dr. Henry McGill, head of the pathology department, and Dr. Jack Strong, as-sociate professor of pathology. Dr. McGill is chief researcher in the project and Dr. Strong is one of his top collaborators.