Study of Trends in Cardiovascular Risk Factors in an Urban Population.

BACKGROUND:

Cardiovascular disease mortality rates, especially for myocardial infarction and stroke, have fallen markedly over the past several decades in all race, sex, and age groups in the United States. Between 1966 and 1986, the combined death rate for all cardiovascular diseases declined by 42 percent. In 1986, the death rate for coronary heart disease was 55 percent of what it had been in 1966, and cerebrovascular disease was 42 percent of what it had been in 1966. The decline is assumed to be related to several factors including improved medical care and risk factor modification for elevated blood lipids, cigarette smoking, and hypertension. The Minnesota Heart Survey provide trends (1970-2002) in coronary heart disease deaths out-of-hospital, in hospitalization rates, case fatality and survivorship for myocardial infarction and stroke in the metropolitan area.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

Between 1979 and 1999, R01HL23727 supported mortality surveillance and morbidity surveillance. Beginning in FY 2000, R01HL65755 supports the morbidity and mortality surveillance and R01HL23727 supports the risk factor survey.

Mortality Surveillance: The mortality surveillance was a continuation of a surveillance study performed by the investigators since 1960 for the state of Minnesota. Mortality data for hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, and all cardiovascular renal disease were monitored for the Twin City metropolitan area with a total population of two million. Age, sex, area, location of death and cause-specific death rates were followed. Trends in cancer, diabetes, and other non-cardiovascular disease were examined. Case fatality rates, including one- and five-year survivorships were determined and related to coronary heart disease mortality trends.