Mortality, morbidity and case fatality from myocardial infarction and the cardiovascular risk profile in the Warsaw population.

The present study, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) MONICA Project design, covers two Warsaw districts inhabited by 274442 people, aged 25-64. In the studied population over the years 1976-1985, no significant time-trends were found of cardiovascular disease (CVD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial infarction (MI) and cerebrovascular mortality, whereas the hypertension mortality trends increased significantly. The MI attack rate in 1984/85 in men aged 25-64 was 466/100,000 and that of women 173/100,000. Within the last 14-15 years the age-standardized MI attack rates increased by 35% in men aged 35-64 and by 65% in women. The 28-day case fatality was 40% in men and 35% in women. Fatality was highest the first day after the onset of symptoms, and only 66% of men and 72% of women survived the first 3 days after onset. No significant differences in age-standardized mean values of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure (BP) were found between men and women. Mean values of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) and of the Quatelet index were higher in the female population, whereas the triglyceride level, diastolic BP, and the number of cigarettes smoked daily were higher in the male population. In men, the plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol values did not change with age, but the tryglyceride values decreased; in women, the plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride values increased with age. Mean values of systolic and diastolic BP increased with age in both sexes, whereas the number of cigarettes smoked daily decreased.