Ischaemic heart disease among active workers at Electricite de France-Gaz de France. First results from a register set up in the social security department

Background: The social security department of the French national electric and gas company has established an ischemic heart disease register among a population of about 140 000 employees based on sick leaves as well as death s recorded with their medical cause. Methods: History of the illness, medical tests and treatments were known re trospectively from the consulting physicians of the company. Acute coronary events recorded were: inaugural angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, su dden coronary death and fortuitous discovery of coronary disease. Results: A first study conducted on employees during the 1993-1995 period s howed infarction incidence age rates similar to those estimated from the Fr ench MONICA registers for France as a whole. Regional discrepancies were ob served for myocardial infarction rates: Nord-Pas de Calais, Champagne-Arden nes, Lorraine, Franche-Comte' and Limousin were at the most elevated risk ( SIR=131, 155, 169, 125 and 178 resp). Large variations according to socio-e conomic status were observed. Conclusion: This register will permit studies on the links between socio-ec onomic status at different professional career points and the occurrence of ischemic heart disease and the evaluation of the impact of psychosocial fa ctors such as previous depressive disorders.