Trends in out-of-hospital ischaemic heart disease deaths 1992 to 2003 in southern Sweden.

AIMS: In western countries out-of-hospital ischaemic heart disease (IHD) deaths account for approximately 50-70% of all IHD deaths. The objective was to examine the trends in out-of-hospital IHD deaths in the Region of Skåne in southern Sweden, in different sex- and age-groups. METHODS: All 14,347 persons (range 24-110 years) in Skåne who died out-of-hospital between 1992 and 2003 from IHD (I410-I414; I20-I25) as the underlying cause of death. Subjects with previous admission for IHD since 1970 were excluded. Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Cause of Death and Patient Register. Age-standardized IHD mortality rates and trends were calculated using Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: Age-standardized annual out-of-hospital IHD mortality rates from 1992-2003 decreased in men from 177±13 to 103±9/100,000 inhabitants (-4.7%; p<0.001) and in women from 142±11 to 96±9/100,000 (-2.7%; p<0.001). In men, the annual change in age-standardized IHD mortality rates were -5.3 % (p<0.001), -4.0 % (p<0.001) and -4.7 % (p<0.001), respectively, in the age groups 20-64 years, 65-74 years and ≥75 years. Corresponding figures in women were -4.4 % (p<0.001), -2.4 % (p=0.003) and -2.5 % (p