[Regional statistical analysis of peripartal mortality caused by cardiovascular diseases 1962-1984 in East Germany].

The analysis of peripartal mortality showed a total number of 273 death cases caused by cardiovascular diseases in the GDR in the period from 1962-1984. - Based on the finding, that in the GDR all preconditions for a country wide statistical analysis of death cases during gestation are fulfilled, we can result from a complete registration of all maternal cardiovascular death cases. Rheumatic heart diseases are the largest group with a percentage of 44.3. They will be followed by death cases as a result of brain and sub arachnoid hemorrhage with 13.9%, by such owing to congenital anomalies of the cardiovascular system with 9.9% and by death cases caused by a pulmonary heart disease with 9.2%. Frequency rates of the investigated period show a continuous decrease from 0.98 per 10,000 newborn children in the period from 1979-1983. Death cases as consequence of rheumatic illness, acute and subacute bacterial carditis and pulmonary heart diseases could be considerably reduced in the investigated period. We have to notice a stagnation of death cases caused by brain and subarachnoid hemorrhage and death cases as a result of congenital anomalies of the cardiovascular system. A temporal relationship between mortality decrease on one hand and improved of diagnostic, therapeutic and organizational measures on the other could be proved. Despite the considerable decrease of death cases owing to cardiovascular diseases - considering the likewise noticed simultaneous reduction of the wide peripartal mortality - the percentage has been hardly changed high with figures between 9.1% and 7.0%. The same is to say about its portion in the group of indirect or non-gestational caused death cases, too. From that follows, that at present times, too, cardiovascular diseases belong to that death-causes groups, which burden peripartal mortality on a large scale.