title: Trends in sudden cardiac death and its risk factors in Japan from 1981 to 2005: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is little evidence whether sudden cardiac death (SCD) is increasing in Asia, although the incidence of coronary heart disease among urban middle-aged Japanese men has increased recently. We examined trends in the incidence of SCD and its risk factors in the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a population-based longitudinal study. Surveillance of men and women for SCD incidence and risk factors was conducted from 1981 to 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surveyed population was all men and women aged 30-84 years who lived in three rural communities and one urban community in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Trends in SCD incidence and its risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age-adjusted and sex-adjusted incidence of SCD decreased from 1981-1985 to 1991-1995, and plateaued thereafter. The annual incidence per 100 000 person-years was 76.0 in 1981-1985, 57.9 in 1986-1990, 39.3 in 1991-1995, 31.6 in 1996-2000 and 36.8 in 2001-2005. The prevalence of hypertension decreased from 1981-1985 to 1991-1995, and plateaued thereafter for men and women. The age-adjusted prevalence of current smoking for men decreased while that of diabetes mellitus increased for both sexes from 1981-1985 to 2001-2005.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of SCD decreased from 1981 to 1995 but was unchanged from 1996 to 2005. Continuous surveillance is necessary to clarify future trends in SCD in Japan because of an increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imano
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiyama
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso