Cerebrovascular disease morbidity in the United States, 1970-1983. Age, sex, region, and vascular surgery.

Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey were reviewed to assess trends in hospital discharge rates for cerebrovascular disease in the United States between 1970 and 1983. Hospital discharge rates showed little consistent change during the 1970's but increased after 1979. Hospital case fatality declined during the same period.

Obesity and hypertension in a longitudinal study of black physicians: the Meharry Cohort Study.

Obesity has been considered a risk factor among the precursors of essential hypertension for many years. Most related studies were general population surveys or predominantly white, male cohorts. This paper reports results of a longitudinal study of former black medical students, now practicing physicians for an average of 22.

Type A behavior in children: demographic, behavioral, and physiological correlates.

This article provides descriptive data on the Type A behavior pattern from an urban, biracial sample of 8 to 10-year-old children from Minneapolis. Type A behavior was assessed using the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH). High MYTH scores were more prevalent in males relative to females and in black males relative to white males.

Smoke exposure in pipe and cigar smokers. Serum thiocyanate measures.

Pipe or cigar smoking traditionally has been considered a less risky alternative to cigarette smoking. Some surveys and experimental studies have suggested, however, that former cigarette smokers who switch to cigars and/or pipe (CP) are more likely to inhale then CP users who never smoked cigarettes; but this relationship has not been consistently noted. To clarify smoke-exposure levels from CP smoking, smoking histories and serum thiocyanate (SCN) levels were studied in 9,106 adults aged 25 to 74 years in population-based surveys of seven upper Midwestern communities.

Cardiovascular responses in type A children during a cognitive challenge.

The few studies which have examined stress-induced cardiovascular reactivity among Type A children have had equivocal results. In the present study, 41 extreme Type A and 46 extreme Type B children were monitored for heart rate and blood pressure during a challenging cognitive task under clear or ambiguous performance standards. Significant heart-rate and blood-pressure responses were observed, but no effects could be attributed to the behavior pattern or performance standards.

Risk factors and the incidence of hypertension in black physicians: the Meharry Cohort Study.

A prospective longitudinal study of black medical students was conducted to determine the predictive value of hypertension precursors. Follow-up examinations, averaging 22.5 years later, were performed on 341 subjects (78.

Leisure time physical activity and its relationship to coronary risk factors in a population-based sample. The Minnesota Heart Survey.

Energy expenditure in leisure time physical activity was measured using the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire in a probability sample of 25- to 74-year-old residents of the seven-county metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Geometric mean estimates of leisure time physical energy expenditure were 193 kcal per day for men and 111 kcal per day for women.

The epidemiology of coronary heart disease in blacks.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death among US blacks whose CHD mortality rates are among the highest in the world. Important to the advance of understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, and prevention of coronary heart disease is an examination of the epidemiology of coronary heart disease in blacks.

An impedance cardiographic study of the mechanism of blood pressure fall after moderate dietary sodium restriction.

Impedance cardiography was performed on 13 free-living subjects to determine the mechanism which ties modest sodium restriction to a reduction in blood pressure. During salt restriction intervention, significant decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (6 and 7 mmHg) were observed associated with mild reduction in urinary sodium excretion from 176 to 85 mmol/day. The impedance cardiogram demonstrated a significant decrease in stroke volume (12 ml), which was related to a fall in diastolic pressure (r = 0.

Acute stroke in a metropolitan area, 1970 and 1980. The Minnesota Heart Survey.

Mortality rates for stroke, and hospitalization and case fatality rates for acute stroke in 1970 and 1980 were obtained for residents aged 30-74 of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis--St Paul) metropolitan area to determine whether improved hospital care contributed to the decline in stroke mortality. Age-adjusted mortality rates per 100,000 declined significantly in that decade for men (1970, 89.4; 1980, 47.

Population risk of cardiovascular disease: the Minnesota Heart Survey.

A decline in age-adjusted ischemic cardiovascular disease mortality has been observed in the United States during the past two decades. Among the leading explanatory hypotheses is improvement in the major known risk factors for heart attack and stroke in the general population, specifically hypertension, smoking, and lipid levels. To better understand risk factor trends, the Minnesota Heart Survey (MHS) began systematic risk factor surveys of the Minneapolis-St Paul population in 1980, (population 1.

Personality, behavior, family environment, family social status and hypertension risk factors in children. The Minneapolis Children's Blood Pressure Study.

To assess the relationship of psychosocial variables to risk factors for hypertension in children, we administered instruments designed to measure aspects of children's personality, behavior, family environment and family social status to 1505 school children aged 7-10 years. Children's blood pressure was significantly related only to mother's occupation, the children of unskilled employees having higher blood pressure than children of higher status workers. Children's body mass index was directly related to scores on the conformity scale of the personality inventory and inversely related to scores on the intellectual-cultural orientation scale of the family environment instrument and to social class.

Measured differences between fourth and fifth phase diastolic blood pressures in 4885 adults: implications for blood pressure surveys.

To examine in detail the relationship between fourth (D4) and fifth (D5) phase diastolic blood pressures, we used data from risk factor surveys of 4885 adults. Observers were carefully trained using audio tapes and double-stethoscope exams to record the onset of the first, fourth (muffling), and fifth (disappearance) phases of Korotkoff sounds with random-zero sphygmomanometers. The expected size of the difference between D4 and D5 pressures (D4-D5) was not discussed with observers.

Racial differences in personality, behavior, and family environment in Minneapolis school children.

Racial differences in personality, behavior, and family environment of lower elementary school children were examined in a sample of 433 black and 897 white children. Numerous significant differences in scores on scales of the Missouri Children's Picture Series, the Missouri Children's Behavior Checklist, and the Family Environment Scale persisted after adjustment for socioeconomic status.

Spouse concordance of smoking patterns: the Minnesota Heart Survey.

Spouse concordance of smoking patterns and other lifestyle factors was examined in data provided by 560 married couples from the Minnesota Heart Survey. Married pair concordance was measured against a standard of concordance based on the frequencies in surrogate spouse pairs. Smoking patterns are found to be significantly concordant for married pairs.

Consumption of 'low-yield' cigarettes: its frequency and relationship to serum thiocyanate.

To determine the use and possible health risks of low-yield cigarettes, we ascertained the cigarette brands and serum thiocyanate (SCN) levels of 2,561 adult smokers (age 25-74) in population-based samples of seven upper Midwestern communities during 1980-82. Brands were coded according to December 1981 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ratings for "tar", nicotine, and carbon monoxide (CO). Compared to 1980 data from the National Center for Health Statistics for the United States as a whole, a greater proportion of smokers in these communities smoked low-yield brands.