The Risk Factor Survey of 2003 in Western Turkey Indicates Trend to Declining Coronary Mortality and Urban Overall Mortality

With the aim of assessing, among others, the coronary morbidity and mortality in the past 27-month period, the last survey of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor Study was conducted in August, 2003 in the Marmara and Central Anatolian regions. Epidemiological methods applied were as previously described. In a total of 1560 individuals of the cohort, 1028 men and women were examined. Furthermore, information was obtained in 422 persons, and death was ascertained in 18 men and 13 women. Eleven new deaths of coronary origin were diagnosed at a follow-up over 2965 person-years. Estimated annual all-cause mortality amounted to 10.5 per mille, coronary mortality to 3.7 per mille. In the age-bracket 45-74 years, total mortality was 13.4 and coronary mortality 4.2 per mille. A total of 28 cases of new fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease (CHD) corresponded to an annual rate of 10.6 per mille. Furthermore, randomly selected 200 men and women aged 38 to 69 years from 11 communities were newly recruited in the survey’s cohort for future follow-up. Though no evidence for a reduction existed in overall new CHD events, coronary and overall mortality tended to decline (to 5 and 12 per 1000 person-years, respectively) since year 2000; the decline in overall mortality appeared to take place in urban areas.