Fatal ischaemic heart disease in Belfast: a comparison of two community surveys

Data from two community surveys in Belfast were used to compare all deaths attributed to ischaemic heart disease during two one-year periods (1965/66 and 1981/82). There was an increase in mortality in men of all ages from 3.3 to 4.4 per 1,000 population (33%) and in women from 1.6 to 3.1 per 1,000 population (94%). Only in men aged less than 70 years was the mortality rate unchanged (2.2 per 1,000 population). The proportion of deaths in persons whose fatal attack began outside the hospital was virtually unchanged (65% in 1965/66 compared with 69% in 1981/82). Survival time was markedly decreased in the later survey, as were delay times in initiating medical care. The increase in mortality probably is due to an increase in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction. The introduction of mobile coronary care in Belfast in 1965 seems to have had equal effects in reducing mortality inside and outside hospital.