Trends in cerebrovascular disease mortality in New Zealand

Death rates for cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in New Zealand have declined by 15 percent and 47 percent for non-Maori men and women respectively in the period 1953-1979. While women have experienced a progressive decline, most of the decline for men has occurred since the early 1970s. Death rates for CVD are consistently higher for Maoris than for non-Maoris, with Maori women experiencing death rates almost double that of Maori men. While death rates among Maori women show a steady decline, this is not the case for Maori men. The overall decline appears to be a real one and is not accounted for by changes in diagnostic fashion or death certificate coding practices. The New Zealand death rates are similar to those noted in other Western industrialised countries, and show the same trend. The decline in cerebrovascular mortality among women began before the widespread use of hypotensive therapy, although improvements in the community control of high blood pressure may explain the more recent decline.