[Arteriosclerosis of the aorta and coronary arteries in persons older than 70 living in different geographical areas of the USSR].

Visual-planimetric examination of the conspicuousness of atherosclerosis in the aorta and coronary arteries of persons who had died at an age of over 70 years was conducted in Tallin, Riga, Ryazan, Kharkov, Yalta, Frunze, and Ashkhabad (1,775 females and 1,425 males). The material was collected and studied according to the program elaborated by WHO experts for epidermilogic study of atherosclerosis according to post-mortem findings. It was found that atherosclerosis progresses at a much slower rate in persons over 70 than in those of younger age groups. The average conspicuousness of atherosclerosis in the vessels of females over 70 and particularly over 80 years of age often surpassed that in males. The least changes in the aorta and coronary arteries were found among the native population of Frunze and Ashkhabad and the most marked among natives of Tallin, Riga, Kharkov, and Yalta.