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Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) Deaths

Ischaemic Heart Disease or IHD is characterized by a reduction in blood supplied to the heart caused by disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle. The two most common fatal forms of IHD are myocardial infarction (heart attack) and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). IHD was the leading cause of death in Simcoe Muskoka for the six year period between 2000 and 2005 and was listed as the primary cause for 4,022 deaths, which was 19 per cent of all deaths during that time period.

The age-standardized mortality rate for IHD in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2005 was 109.6 (101.5, 117.8) per 100,000 population, which was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 97.3 (95.8, 98.9) per 100,000 population. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for IHD deaths in Simcoe Muskoka compared with Ontario was 1.12 (1.04, 1.20), which means that there was a 12 per cent greater IHD mortality experience in Simcoe Muskoka relative to Ontario in 2005.

Figure one shows the trend in IHD mortality rates for Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario over the six year period between 2000 and 2005. The rates in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario were nearly identical between 2000 and 2002 and then began to diverge in 2003 when the downward trend in Simcoe Muskoka began to flatten. The rate in Simcoe Muskoka decreased by 12% overall between 2000 and 2005; whereas the rate in Ontario decreased by 22% over this time period and saw decreases in each year.

Figure One

By Sex

In 2005, the age-standardized IHD mortality rate among Simcoe Muskoka males was 149.3 (134.4, 164.1) per 100,000, which was nearly twice the female rate of 78.2 (69.3, 87.2) per 100,000. The 2005 age-standardized IHD mortality rates for Ontario males was 129.5 (126.7, 132.3) per 100,000, which was significantly lower than the rate for Simcoe Muskoka males. The SMR for IHD deaths among Simcoe Muskoka males compared with Ontario males was 1.15 (1.04, 1.20), which means that there was 15 per cent more IHD deaths than expected among Simcoe Muskoka males relative to Ontario males in 2005. The IHD mortality rates for Ontario females did not differ significantly from Simcoe Muskoka.

Figure two shows the trend in IHD mortality rates for males and females in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario over the six year period between 2000 and 2005. IHD related mortality in Ontario decreased significantly among males and females between 2000 and 2005, with a 23 per cent reduction in the rates among males and 21 per cent reduction among females. There was also an overall decreasing trend in the rates among Simcoe Muskoka males and females over this same time period; however, this decrease was not statistically significant. The IHD mortality rates for Simcoe Muskoka males actually increased in 2003 after successive decreases in 2001 and 2002, before declining again in 2004 and leveling off in 2005.

Figure Two

By Age Group

The risk of dying from IHD increases exponentially with age (see Fig. 3). The age-specific rate of IHD deaths between 2000 and 2005 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka was highest among those 75 years and older at 1586.3 (1526.2,1646.5) deaths per 100,000. This was more than four times the rate for those 65 to 74 years of age and more than 20 times the rate for those 45 to 64 years of age.

Figure Three