The stages of development of cardiovascular diseases and the evolution of their pattern in the veterans of the Great Patriotic War (according to the 1946-2015 records of the Saint Petersburg War Veterans Hospital)

Abstract

To determine the stages of development of cardiovascular diseases and the evolution of their pattern in the veterans of the Great Patriotic War during 70 postwar years. The investigation used the 1946-2014 annual reports on the hospital's work; analysis of the pattern of therapeutic and cardiovascular diseases over time; the results of laboratory and functional tests in 148 patients who developed in-hospital myocardial infarction (cardiospecific enzymes, electrocardiography, echocardiography (EchoCG), and, if clinically indicated, coronary angiography) and in 112 cardiopulmonary patients who were detected to have a chronic multimorbid heart phenomenon (EchoCG, radiological examination, blood gas tests, and statistical processing of the findings). The postwar evolution of therapeutic and cardiovascular diseases was ascertained to consist of 5 stages, each of which averaged about 15 years. At the same time, the nosological entities typical of the subsequent stage developed in the pattern of those at the preceding stage and gradually became predominant. The form of in-hospital myocardial infarction, as well as the chronic multimorbid heart phenomenon in the presence of comorbidity (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertensive disease) at Stage IV was described. With allowance made for the stages of development of therapeutic diseases and evolution of its pattern in the veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the clinical departments of the hospital, its laboratory and functional diagnosis departments have been reorganized for 70 postwar years in order to render adequate specialized medical care to the patients.