title: The role of risk factor time trends in the steep decline of CHD mortality between two Israeli cohort studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over the past few decades, a sizable monotonous decrease in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates was evident in Israel. Our purpose was to evaluate the association of risk factor time trends with this decline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of two Israeli male cohorts with an inception date separated by 14 years were combined: (a) 9699 employees who participated in the Israeli Ischemic Heart Disease (IIHD) project, followed-up between 1965 and 1983, and (b) 1745 participants of the Glucose Intolerance, Obesity and Hypertension (GOH) study, sampled from the Central Population Registry, followed-up between 1979 and 1997.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of both groups was comparable (52.9 vs. 51.2 years in the GOH and IIHD, respectively). Systolic blood pressure (133.5 vs. 138.1 mm/Hg), smoking (44% vs. 49%), and BMI (25.5 vs. 25.9 kg/m(2)) were lower in the GOH, whereas mean serum cholesterol was higher (215 vs. 208 mg/dL). During the follow-up period, 3,173 deaths were recorded. Of these, 968 (31%) were attributed to CHD. Overall mortality, adjusted by age and ethnic origin, was lower in the GOH (HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.72-0.89). CHD mortality was remarkably lower (HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.44-0.69). Adjusting for systolic blood pressure and smoking increased the HR for CHD death to 0.68 (95% CI: 0.55-0.85), whereas further adjustment for cholesterol reduced it slightly (HR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.50-0.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traditional risk factors appear to play a limited role in the declining rates of CHD mortality among Israeli males.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Sackler Medical Faculty, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, PO Box 39040, Israel. yarivg@post.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Yariv
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gerber
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dankner
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chetrit
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Novikov
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Goldbourt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors