Report on Non-fatal events cardio-cerebro-vascular to ten years in a Southern Italy cohort.

BACKGROUND: Data relating to non-fatal cardiovascular events are poor but these data are essential to organize targeted interventions on the territory and to understand their effectiveness. METHODS: We calculated the rates of morbidity from cardiovascular events covering the period 1998/99-2008/09, in a cohort of 1200 persons (600 men and 600 women) aged 25 to 74 years. Data were standardized using the European standard population. RESULTS: The incidence of events to ten years of non-fatal myocardial infarc.ion was 2.2% in men and of 1.8% in women. PCI interventions to ten year have been 3.3% in men and 3.4% in women, the interventions of aorto-coronary bypass have been 2.4% and 0.5% for men and women respectively. While all major cardiovascular events have been more frequent in men, in women there was a higher incidence of stroke (1.6% vs 0.9%). CONCLUSION: Although by comparison with other European countries Italy is among the countries considered at low-risk of coronary heart disease, in Campania cardiovascular diseases reach higher rates than the rest of the country. Our results are in keeping with the literature data and confirm that cardiovascular diseases are a major public health problem. Local analysis are useful in providing additional information for planning prevention interventions targeted to its own territory.