TRENDS IN HEART-DISEASE IN THE UNITED-STATES

The twentieth century in the United States has witnessed a ''heart dis ease epidemic'' with a dramatic increase in ischemic heart disease (IH D) among men, particularly, beginning shortly after World War I, The e pidemic reached its peak mortality among men in the 1960s and among wo men about two decades earlier, Highest mortality rates were observed i n the Northeast at mid-century, but by 1990 the highest rates occur in the Southeast, With improvements in survival during the past few deca des, prevalence of IHD has been increasing in the population, Identifi cation of risk factors for IHD through longitudinal epidemiologic stud ies has led to prevention programs that have improved the risk profile of the population.