Coronary Heart Disease in Helsinki: A comparative investigation of the years 1955 and 1965

We have compared the patients, who have died of coronary heart diseases in the town of Helsinki during the years 1955 and 1965, whereby attention has been paid to the age and sex of the patients, the social-groups, the certainty of the diagnosis, the locality of death (i.e. whether the patient has died at home, in hospital or elsewhere) and the month during which the patients died. We have taken autopsy or hospital examination as a standard for a certain diagnosis. It may be stated that these conditions were fulfilled in considerably more cases in 1965 than in 1955 and that a "certain" diagnosis, which in 1955 was estimated at 64.8 per cent in 1965 was 82.9 per cent. We want to emphasize that this increase in the certainty of the diagnosis occurred in social-groups II, III and IV, while social-group I already in 1955 was on a level with the remaining socialgroups in 1965 as regards the certainty of the diagnosis. The mortality increased from 1.83 per thousand (men 2.55, women 1.28) in 1955 to 2.45 per thousand (men 3.15, women 1.91) in 1965. We have been able to state, that the mortality during this decade has increased by 33.9 per cent, the increase among men being 23.5 per cent and among women 49.2 per cent. The increase has been greatest in the younger age-groups. We have been able to state an increase of deaths in coronary heart diseases in social-groups II, III and IV, while social-group I has not undergone any appreciable change during this decade. As regards the locality of death we have been able to state, that in 1965 the patients sought hospitalization more often than in 1955, and consequently the number of patients, who have died in hospital, compared with the number who have died at home or elsewhere, have increased. An increase in the number of hospitalized patients has occurred in social-groups I I , III and IV, but not in socialgroup I. A certain tendency to an increase of the deaths has been observed during the cold months and a top during the warmest period is noticeable. As a summary we wish to state, that in spite of the fact that patients during 1965 were given more intensive care, viz. hospitalization, than in 1955, the mortality in coronary heart diseases has increased, and that the increase has occurred especially in the lower social-groups, among younger people and among women.