Dramatic decline of ischaemic heart disease mortality in post communist central Europe: recovery from totality

Abstract

After 1970 the preexisting gap in population health between democratic Europe and communist countries became even more prominent. While in the democratic Europe there was a progressive rise in life expectancy associated with the decline in ischaemic heart disease (IHD), the trend on the other side of the iron curtain was exactly reverse. After the fall of communism in 1989 population health in the post-communist central Europe (CE) rapidly signalled a favourable recovery. This biphasic trend in post-communist countries is very remarkable. Most remarkably the decline in IHD mortality started soon after the demise of totality, even before the modernization of health care (new more effective medications and diagnostic technology), public campaign against smoking and improved supply of protective nutrients got chance to attain an important role. The decades-long psychosocial depression of communism was rapidly replaced with a promise of a better future. It is generally accepted that psychosocial factors are powerfool tools in the pathogenesis of IHD.