ORIGINAL ARTICLE Airborne occupational exposure, ABO phenotype and risk of ischaemic heart disease in the Copenhagen Male Study

Objectives To test the hypothesis that long-term occupa-tional exposure to airborne pollutants is a stronger risk factor for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in men with blood type O than in men with other ABO phenotypes. Design Cross-sectional and prospective study taking into account potential confounders. Setting The Copenhagen Male Study Subjects 3321 men aged 53–74 years. Main outcome measure Lifetime prevalence of myocardial infarction and incidence of IHD in an 8-year follow-up among men without overt cardiovascular disease. Results Among men with phenotypes other than O no association was found between airborne pollutant exposure and IHD risk. Among men with blood type O (n 1417, 42%), 4.7 % had a history of myocardial infarction, a