Four-year incidence of myocardial infarction and sudden coronary death in twelve Finnish population cohorts.

Abstract

The incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) and sudden coronary death in four years was studied in 6510 men and 5800 women, aged 30-59 years, derived from 12 Finnish population cohorts constituting the invited population to a prospective study. The incidence of all fatal coronary events in four years was 13.0/1 000 in men and 1.8/1 000 in women. The incidence of sudden coronary death was 7.8/1 000 in men and 0.7/1 000 in women. The incidence of non-fatal MI was 22.2/1 000 in men and 7.3/1 000 in women. Coronary mortality was significantly higher in non-participants in the initial survey than in participants. The incidence of MI was highest in men from eastern Finland (North Karelia), intermediate in men from central and western Finland and lowest in men from southwestern Finland. There were no significant regional differences in the incidence of MI in women. The incidence of MI in this study was in good agreement with that recorded in the myocardial community registers.