Trend of coronary heart disease and its relationship to risk factors in a Japanese population: a 26-year follow-up, Hiroshima/Nagasaki study.

The incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) was determined from a 26-year follow-up study of a fixed population of 19,961 subjects. The study also examined secular trends and relationship to risk factors. The age-adjusted incidence of myocardial infarction was found to have remained almost constant during this 26-year follow-up period, averaging 2.1/1,000 person-years in men and 0.79/1,000 person-years in women. An accurate trend of angina pectoris was difficult to evaluate in this study. Both age and elevated systolic blood pressure were confirmed to be important and independent risk factors. The risk of developing CHD was found to increase linearly with respect to systolic blood pressure. An increased risk was also observed in subjects with diastolic blood pressure of 110 mmHg or higher. Serum cholesterol and cigarette smoking were additional independent risk factors, indicating that the so-called three major risk factors for CHD were all confirmed in this Japanese population of both men and women.