AN AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCE IN THE RATIO OF SUDDEN CORONARY DEATH OVER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION IN ESTONIAN MALES

The present study was undertaken to investigate the in-hospital and th e out-of-hospital mortality rate from ischemic heart disease (IHD). Th e age related incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the n umber of sudden coronary deaths (SCD) in males in South Estonia with t he population of approximately 400,000 inhabitants were subjected to c omparative analysis covering a period of 17 years (1980-1996). The ann ual AMI incidence rate per 100,000 males was 30.8 (95% CI, 27.2-34.4) in the younger age group (20-39) and 393.1 (382-404) in the older age group (40-84); the rates for SCD were 19.2 (16.4-22) and 120 (114-126) , respectively. The ratio of annual incidence rate of SCD/AMI in the y ounger group was significantly higher than that in the older group (ch i(2) = 5.23; P < 0.05). Thus, the out-of-hospital SCD seems to be of e ven more relative importance in the total mortality from IHD in young males than it is in older males. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.