The association between mortality from ischaemic heart disease and mortality from leading chronic diseases

• Published in: European heart journal 2000-11, Vol.21 (22), p.1841-1852
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Artalejo, F, Guallar-Castillón, P, Banegas Banegas, J.R, Gutiérrez-Fisac, J.L, Del Rey Calero, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiology. Vascular system; Chronic Disease - mortality; chronic diseases; Coronary heart disease; epidemiology; Female; Heart; Humans; Ischaemic heart disease; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; mortality; Myocardial Ischemia - etiology; Myocardial Ischemia - mortality; Risk Factors; Spain; Spain - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0195-668X; 1522-9645
• DOI: 10.1053/euhj.2000.2320

Aims Coronary risk factors raise the risk of other chronic disorders. We therefore tested the hypothesis that the geographic distribution of ischaemic heart disease mortality is associated with that of other chronic diseases with which it shares risk factors. Methods and Results For the 50 provinces of Spain, we collected mortality data for the period 1980–1995 from the national vital statistics. We calculated age-adjusted mortality rates for the leading causes of death in quintiles of provincial distribution of ischaemic heart disease mortality, and correlation coefficients with respect to provincial ischaemic heart disease mortality. As expected, because they share risk factors with ischaemic heart disease, mortality from cerebrovascular disease, malignant tumours, lung cancer, respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diseases of the digestive system, cirrhosis of the liver and all causes, increase with the rise from lower to higher quintiles of ischaemic heart disease mortality. Ischaemic heart disease mortality registered correlations over 0·5 (P