Trends in ischemic heart disease death rates for blacks and whites--United States, 1981-1995

Abstract

During 1995, ischemic heart disease (IHD) caused 21% of all deaths and 65% of deaths attributed to heart disease. Few reports comparing IHD mortality between blacks and whites have presented age-specific rates, and none have compared trends over time. This report examines the trend in age-specific IHD death rates for blacks and whites from 1981 through 1995 (the latest year for which data are available) and indicates that, in the younger age groups (35-64 years), blacks have a higher risk for IHD death than whites.