title: The incidence of suspected myocardial infarction in Dutch general practice in the period 1978-1994.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate how the incidence of suspected myocardial infarction has developed from 1978 to 1994 and to study the incidence of confirmed acute myocardial infarction in Dutch general practices during the period 1991-1994.
  
  
  METHODS
  In three periods (1978, 1983-1985 and 1991-1994) the incidence of suspected myocardial infarction has been registered by the 'Dutch Sentinel Practice Network'. This is a registration system that obtains data from general practitioners covering about 150,000 persons. During the period 1991-1994 the incidence of confirmed myocardial infarction was also registered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For men, the incidence rate of suspected myocardial infarction decreased by 28% from 4.7 per 1000 in 1978 to 3.4 per 1000 in the period 1991-1994. For women, the incidence fell by 23% from 2.6 per 1000 in 1978 to 2.0 per 1000 in the period 1983-1985 and stabilized thereafter. The most pronounced decrease in the incidence of suspected myocardial infarction during the period 1978-1994 occurred in both men and women aged 45-64. In the period 1991-1994, the standardized incidence rate of confirmed myocardial infarction is 1.7 per 1000 for men and 0.9 per 1000 for women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that the incidence of suspected myocardial infarction has declined substantially between 1978 and 1994 both for men and for women; this decline is most pronounced in the age group 45-64.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute of Primary Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: van der Pal-de Bruin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Verkleij
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartelds
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kromhout
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries