Fjölrit RALA - 22.03.1979, Page 94

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Bjarni Thjodleifsson, Ph.D. M.R.C.P. (UK)
Mortality from Coronary Heart Disease in Iceland 1951-1976
Introduction:
During the last few decades a sharp increase has occurred
in coronary artery disease in most western industrialized coun-
tries. One of the risk factors for this disease is a diet high
in saturated fat and possibly some other dietary factors. Since
part of this project is to study the present and past Icelandic
diet, it is of interest to see how the coronary epidemic has be-
haved in Iceland. No systematic registration has been performed
of clinical coronary attacks but mortality from this disease has
been very carefully registered.
Material and Methods:
Mortality registration is based on death certificates which
is classified by the Bureau of Statistics. The rules of classi-
fication and registration of diseases are based on International
Classification of Diseases (ICD) and during the period of study,
three ICD editions have been in use:
(1) 1951-1961 6th edition
(2) 1961-1971 7th edition
(3) 1971-1976 8th edition
No change was made in classification of coronary artery disease
between the 6th and 7th editions but in the 8th edition, an im-
portant change was made as follows.
In the 6th and 7th editions coronary artery disease
was classified as follows:
420 Arteriosclerotic heart disease including
coronary disease
420.0 Arteriosclerotic heart disease
so described
420.1 Heart disease specified as involving
coronary arteries
420.2 Angina rectoris without mentioning
coronary disease
In the 8th edition coronary artery disease is under
the number 410-414 as follows:
410 Infarctus myocardii acuta
411 Morbus cordis ischemicus alius
acutus et subacutus