The Coronary Heart Disease Pandemic in the Twentieth Century: Emergence and Decline in Advanced Countries

Description

This book demonstrates that a pandemic of coronary heart disease occurred in North America, western and northern Europe, and Australia and New Zealand from the 1930s to about 2000. At its peak it caused more deaths than any other disease. The book examines and compares trends in coronary heart disease mortality rates for individual countries. The most detailed analyses are for the United States, where mortality rates are examined for race, sex, and age groups and for geographic regions. Popular explanations for the rise and fall of coronary heart disease mortality rates are examined. Content: Pandemics as historical events -- Overview of the coronary heart disease pandemic in the United States and methods of analysis -- The emergence of the coronary heart disease pandemic in the United States, 1910-1935 -- The coronary heart disease pandemic in the United States from 1940 to 1967 -- Explanations for the emergence of the coronary heart disease pandemic -- State differences in coronary heart disease mortality -- Rates in the United States in 1950 and 1960 -- The emergence of the coronary heart disease pandemic in Canada and England and Wales -- The peak and decline of the coronary heart disease pandemic in the United States, 1970 to 2010 -- Explanations for the decrease in ischemic heart disease -- Mortality rates in the United States from 1970 to 2010 -- Decreases in state ischemic heart disease mortality rates, 1970-1990 -- The peak and decline of the pandemic in Canada, England and Wales, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand -- Coronary heart disease after the pandemic.