Cardiovascular mortality in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1970-79, and the evaluation of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study: results from a geographic mortality study.

The primary endpoint of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GCP), cardiovascular mortality, has to be based on the official mortality statistics. In the scope of a geographic mortality study trends and regional variations of ischemic heart disease (ICD-9, 410-414) and cerebrovascular disease (ICD-9, 430-438) mortality were investigated. During the study period from 1970 to 1979 a relevant decline of cerebrovascular diseases in men and women was observed, whereas ischemic heart disease mortality figures remained relatively stable. Over time the importance of ischemic heart disease mortality has increased. The geographic analysis points to relevant problems concerning the validity of mortality data due to the particularities of the German mortality statistics (separately signed in the 11 statistical offices of the 11 federal states). The mortality rates of the four intervention regions of the "Kooperative Prävention" (corresponding data of "Kommunale Prävention" not available) indicate that the intervention regions are at a considerably lower level than the FRG, the mortality patterns, however, paralleling those of the FRG. As far as mortality structures are concerned, ischemic heart diseases are more important in the intervention regions than in the FRG as a whole.