[Social stress as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease]

To study dynamics of ischemic heart disease in exposure of the population of an industrial city to social-economic stress.

Official annual records of Saratov city Health Administration for 1989-1998. In public health evaluation, cardiovascular morbidity is the index rapidly reacting to social-economic changes. Descrete data of myocardial infarction and angina prevalence for the analysed time were approximated by polynomes of high degree. As a result, the first and second derivatives--speed and acceleration--were obtained.

A rise in MI morbidity reflected a rise in social tension. The disturbance of the population system of an industrial center (in conditions of a social stress) is accompanied by marked deformation of the profile of cardiovascular diseases in the industrial region: the growth of MI prevalence is associated with lowering of angina pectoris morbidity.

A rise in MI incidence rate is proposed as an indicator of social-economic stability or instability. Instability of IHD morbidity in the population allows consideration of social stress as its risk factor.