Secular trends in atherosclerotic lesions: comparison of two studies of autopsied men conducted in different time periods.

The extent and prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries and aortas of deceased 25 to 44-yr-old men, autopsied in New Orleans during two different time periods (1960-64 and 1969-78), were evaluated to determine if changes in lesions had occurred in parallel with reported decreases in coronary heart disease death rates. Results of these evaluations showed that both the extent and prevalence of raised atherosclerotic lesions were significantly less in the coronary arteries of white men in the second time period. No significant difference was detected in black men. In the aorta there were no significant differences between studies in whites, but in blacks, there were significantly more extensive raised lesions in the second time period. These findings strongly suggest that the extent of involvement with atherosclerotic lesions in a given population may change over time. The underlying mechanisms responsible for these secular trends in atherosclerosis merit additional study.