Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Among Young Adults in the U.S. From 1980 Through 2002
Key result
Overall CHD mortality falls ~50% but stagnates recently among middle-aged adults.
- 52% decrease in men, 49% decrease in women
Key Points
- To examine temporal trends in coronary heart disease mortality among young adults aged 35 to 54 years in the United States between 1980 and 2002.
- Analyzed national vital statistics mortality files from the National Center for Health Statistics for United States adults aged 35 years and older from 1980 through 2002.
- Conducted joinpoint regression analyses to calculate annual percent changes and identify significant shifts in age-adjusted coronary heart disease mortality trends stratified by sex and age group.
- While coronary heart disease mortality declined overall, the rate of decline slowed substantially among adults aged 35 to 54 years compared to older age demographics.
- Among men aged 35 to 44 years, the annual percent change in mortality shifted from -4.6% per year (1980–1989) to -1.2% per year (1989–2002).
- Among women aged 35 to 44 years, mortality declines flattened after 1989 and showed a non-significant increase with an annual percent change of 1.3% per year from 1997 through 2002.
Study Design
Type
Observational
PICO
P
Population
U.S. adults aged 35 years and older whose coronary heart disease mortality rates were analyzed from 1980 through 2002.
E
Exposure / Comparator
Calendar year (1980-2002)
O
Primary Outcome
Age-adjusted mortality rate from coronary heart disease — 52% decrease in men, 49% decrease in women
Main Result
Effect estimate: 52% decrease in men, 49% decrease in women
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Key expert perspectives
Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.
“We have a pretty rosy view of how things are going in the war against cardiovascular disease. I view this paper as a wake-up call that says there is a very important segment of our population that needs some attention.”
WRWayne RosamondEpidemiology professor, University of North Carolina
“The rates will have to be monitored to see if this is the beginning of a real trend.”
Implication
Epidemiological analysis reveals slowing coronary heart disease mortality declines in young adults, indicating emerging cardiovascular vulnerabilities.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of our study was to examine age-specific mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD), particularly those among younger adults. BACKGROUND: Trends for obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome among young adults raise concerns about the mortality rates from CHD in this group. METHODS: We used mortality data from 1980 to 2002 to calculate age-specific mortality rates from CHD for U.S. adults age > or =35 years. RESULTS: Overall, the age-adjusted mortality rate decreased by 52% in men and 49% in women. Among women age 35 to 54 years, the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) in mortality was -5.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] -5.8 to -4.9) from 1980 until 1989, -1.2% (95% CI -1.6 to -0.8) from 1989 until 2000, and 1.5% (95% CI -3.4 to 6.6) from 2000 until 2002. Among men age 35 to 54 years, the EAPC in mortality was -6.2% (95% CI -6.4 to -5.9) from 1980 until 1989, -2.3% (95% CI -2.6 to -2.1) from 1989 until 2000, and -0.5% (95% CI -3.7 to 2.9) from 2000 until 2002. Among women and men age > or =55 years, the estimated annual percentage decrease in mortality from CHD accelerated in more recent years compared with earlier periods. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rates for CHD among younger adults may serve as a sentinel event. Unfavorable trends in several risk factors for CHD provide a likely explanation for the observed mortality rates.
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Cite This Study
Ford et al. (2007) conducted an observational in Coronary heart disease mortality. Calendar year (1980-2002) was evaluated on Age-adjusted mortality rate from coronary heart disease (52% decrease in men, 49% decrease in women). Between 1980 and 2002, overall age-adjusted CHD mortality decreased by 52% in men and 49% in women, though the decline stagnated among adults aged 35 to 54 years in recent years.