American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Declining ischemic heart disease mortality rates over the last quarter-century have been well documented in the United States. Factors such as improved recognition and treatment of hypertension, behavioral changes caused by public awareness of the health risks of smoking, and lower serum cholesterol resulting from medication and dietary changes have probably been major contributors to this decline. Little information exists, however, regarding long-term trends in ischemic heart disease mortality in southwestern American Indians and Hispanics. Previously, we reported ischemic heart disease mortality rates in American Indians and Hispanics in New Mexico from 1958-82. To further investigate trends in ischemic heart disease mortality in New Mexico, we examined mortality data for ischemic heart disease to include the years 1958-92, a thirty-five-year time span.