Interview with Prof. Henry Blackburn, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) expert who played an active part in the ‘Seven Countries Study’, which started with a pilot survey in Nicotera and ended with the publication of a scientific report of the... more
Interview with Prof. Henry Blackburn, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) expert who played an active part in the ‘Seven Countries Study’, which started with a pilot survey in Nicotera and ended with the publication of a scientific report of the first five years’ experience in 1970 and ten years’ in 1980.-
ntervista a Henry Blackburn, esperto di patologie del sistema cardio-vascolare che, come assistente di Ancel Keys, ha partecipato al Seven Countries Study dallo studio pilota a Nicotera nel 1957 alla pubblicazione del rapporto scientifico dei primi cinque anni nel ’70 e dei successivi dieci anni nell’80.
The Seven Countries Study of Cardiovascular Diseases was started at the end of the 1950s and it continues to be run after >50 years. It enrolled, at entry, 16 population cohorts in eight nations of seven countries for a total of 12,763... more
The Seven Countries Study of Cardiovascular Diseases was started at the end of the 1950s and it continues to be run after >50 years. It enrolled, at entry, 16 population cohorts in eight nations of seven countries for a total of 12,763 middle-aged men. It was the prototype of epidemiological studies seeking cultural contrasts and the first to compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates related to diet differences. The study has shown that populations suffer widely different incidence and mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) as well as from other CVDs and overall mortality. Higher rates were found in North America and northern Europe, and lower rates in southern Europe - Mediterranean countries - and Japan. These differences in CHD rates were strongly associated with different levels of saturated fat consumption and average serum cholesterol levels, with lowest rates in Greece and Japan where the total fat intake was very different. The cohorts were also different in d...
Abstract. Forsén T, Eriksson J, Qiao Q, Tervahauta M, Nissinen A, Tuomilehto J (National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, and University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland). Short stature and coronary heart disease: a 35-year follow-up of the... more
Abstract. Forsén T, Eriksson J, Qiao Q, Tervahauta M, Nissinen A, Tuomilehto J (National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, and University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland). Short stature and coronary heart disease: a 35-year follow-up of the Finnish cohorts of The Seven Countries Study. J Intern Med 2000; 248: 326–332.Objectives. To examine whether short stature is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.Design. Follow-up study.Setting. Two geographically defined areas in eastern and western Finland.Subjects. A total of 1441 men who were free of coronary heart disease at the start of the follow-up.Main outcome measures. Hazard ratios for fatal and non-fatal coronary heart diseaseResults. Height was inversely related to fatal coronary heart disease and incident non-fatal coronary heart disease during the follow-up. These relationships persisted after adjusting for other major cardiovascular risk factors. Comparing the high-risk area in eastern Finland with the low-risk area in south-western Finland, no difference in fatal coronary heart disease and cumulative incidence of non-fatal coronary heart disease was seen in tall men. The increase in risk of coronary heart disease death was 19% for a 10 cm decrease in height (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68–0.95).Conclusions. Our results show that short stature is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. Differences in stature partly explain the Finnish east–west difference in the incidence of coronary heart disease.
