Changes in prevalence of nonfatal coronary heart disease in the United States from 1971-1994.
OBJECTIVE
To examine temporal trends in the prevalence of nonfatal coronary heart disease in the United States.


METHODS
Four national cross-sectional health surveys: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I (1971-1975), NHANES II (1976-1980), NHANES III (1988-1994), and Hispanic HANES (HHANES) (1982-1984).


METHODS
United States.


METHODS
Persons aged 40-74 years.


METHODS
Prevalence of angina, self-reported myocardial infarction, and electrocardiographically defined myocardial infarction (ECG-MI).


RESULTS
Generally, the age-adjusted prevalence of angina pectoris was higher among women than men, but the reverse was true for self-reported myocardial infarction and ECG-MI. Increases in the prevalence of angina pectoris occurred for Mexican-American men and women, and African-American women, but were not statistically significant for the latter. Age-adjusted rates of self-reported myocardial infarction increased among African-American men (P=.019) and women (P=.005) and Mexican-American men (P>.05), but decreased among White men (P>.05) and women (P>.05). The prevalence of age-adjusted ECG-MI decreased among African-American men and women, White women, and to a lesser degree, White men; however, none of these decreases were statistically significant. Relative standard errors for ECG-MI prevalence in NHANES I and II among African Americans were large; therefore, prevalence trends need to be interpreted cautiously.


CONCLUSIONS
The decreases in ECG-MI could be due either to decreased incidence of coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction, or increases in the rates of timely cardiac interventions that minimize damage to the myocardium.
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. esf2@cdc.gov
Earl S
ES
Ford
Wayne H
WH
Giles
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000453:epidemiology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000639:trends; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology