A descriptive study of ischemic heart disease in a primary care center is reported. From the recording systems 112 patients with IHD (9 of them dead) were identified. The calculated incidence and prevalence rates were 1.9/1000 and 10.9/1000, respectively. There were remarkably high rates of cardiovascular risk factors. The most common forms of presentation were myocardial infarction in males and angina in females. The physicians of the primary care center played a role in the diagnosis in 17% of patients. In addition, the disease was exclusively managed in the primary care center in 29% of patients, most of them over 65 years of age. The role of the primary care physician in the diagnosis and control of this condition is emphasized.