[Population pathology--a new trend in pathology research].

An advanced type of population studies is now epidemiological studies of non-infectious diseases. Population pathology allows studying the whole spectrum of the disease development (predisease, early preclinical and overt stages) and the disease risk factors. Epidemiological studies of atherosclerosis provided information on the disease evolution within 25-year period in male population of 9 cities, a peculiar type of fibrous plaque formation in the aorta and coronary arteries is described and some features of lipid spots in the aorta in various populations are observed.