[Social stress as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease].

ABSTRACT

AIM: To study dynamics of ischemic heart disease in exposure of the population of an industrial city to social-economic stress. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Official annual records of Saratov city Health Administration for 1989-1998. In public health evaluation, cardiovascular morbidity is the index rapidly reacting to social-economic changes. Descrete data of myocardial infarction and angina prevalence for the analysed time were approximated by polynomes of high degree. As a result, the first and second derivatives--speed and acceleration--were obtained. RESULTS: A rise in MI morbidity reflected a rise in social tension. The disturbance of the population system of an industrial center (in conditions of a social stress) is accompanied by marked deformation of the profile of cardiovascular diseases in the industrial region the growth of MI prevalence is associated with lowering of angina pectoris morbidity. CONCLUSION: A rise in MI incidence rate is proposed as an indicator of social-economic stability or instability. Instability of IHD morbidity in the population allows consideration of social stress as its risk factor.