SEX DIFFERENCE IN THE MORTALITY TRENDS OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTIONIN TAIWAN, 1974 TO 1993

The mortality patterns of coronary heart disease (CHD) vary among coun tries. Although the mortality rates from this disease are decreasing i n the majority of developed nations, most developing countries are exp eriencing upward trends, especially among men. The mortality trends of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Taiwan have not been reported. T he purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of age, chroni cle period, and birth cohort on the AMI mortality rates using computer ized vital statistics data from 1974 through 1993. Compared with the a ge-adjusted AMI mortality rates in 1974, the mortality rates in 1993 w ere 2.4 times higher for men and 2.2 times higher for women. When the log-linear Poisson model was used to assess age, birth cohort, and chr onicle period simultaneously, women had no elevated relative risk of d ying from AMI in different periods. The relative risk of dying from AM I increased 2.5 times for men in the 1955-1959 birth cohort compared w ith those in the 1890-1894 birth cohort, while the relative risk for f emales declined by 3.7 times for the corresponding birth cohorts. Base d on birth cohort, the trends in mortality differ substantially betwee n sexes in Taiwan. These results may help to generate hypotheses regar ding the possible factors, prevention, and control of mortality from A MI in Taiwan.