Background: Given the importance of ischemic cardiopathy (IC) as a cause of death in industrialized countries, the trend of mortality by IC in people from 30 to 69 years of age residing in the Basque Country between 1975-1990 were studied. Furthermore, the evolution of the mortality by cardiac diseases and by other causes which may compete with IC in the certification or coding of the cause of death was studied.
Methods: The rate of mortality standardized by age by the direct methods were estimated from data from the Natural Movement of Population. The trend was graphically studied and quantified by means of the percentage difference between the rates.
Results: Mortality by IC decreased between 1975-1990 by 37% in men and 46% in women with a mean annual percentage decrease of 2.8% and 2.9%, respectively. Mortality by cardiac disease decreased 34% in men and 52% in women.
Conclusions: Mortality by ischemic cardiopathy in the Basque Country has significantly decreased in both sexes. This decrease is not explicable by possible changes over the years in the practises of certification or coding of the cause of death.