[The effectiveness of a prevention program for cardiovascular diseases]

In 1968 the addresses of all men of the annual courses of birth 1914-1923 of an Erfurt district were registered (n = 2 023). The aim population was according to accident subdivided into an intervention and a control group. The test persons of the intervention group were repeatedly investigated and participated in a preventive programme. Up to the final investigation in 1977 the control group remained absolutely intact. After about 10 years the intervention population had a statistically significantly lower frequency of infarction and a lower proportion of hypertensive values of blood pressure. In the younger five-year age group the total mortality was tendencially lower (not significant!) than in the adequate control group. There are no differences in the mortality from heart and circulatory diseases and in the distribution of other risk factors between intervention and control groups. A positive effect of the preventive programme was to be proved theoretically as well as empirically, though the decrease of the real incidence of infarction which is to be calculated was by far lower than generally was supposed.