Abstract □ 39

Introduction: Hungarian mortality rate is one of the highest in Europe. Ischaemic heart disease is one of the leading cause of death in Hungary. We have investigated the association between poor living standards and ischemic heart disease by a detailed geographical comparison of infant mortality in 1920-1939 and death in adults from ischemic heart disease and other leading causes of death in 1990-1994. Method: The applied statistical method for our investigation was the calculation of correlation coefficient, showing the linear correlation. In the examined case this was an indicator for the existence of relation between infant mortality and adult mortality rates. Results: Ischemic heart disease /r=0.325/ and malignant tumors of digestive apparatus /r=0.562/ are strongly correlated with infant mortality. A significant difference was observed in both infant and overall mortality rates between the western and eastern counties. Discussion: Our results suggest that the geographical distribution of ischemic heart disease in Hungary reflects later dietary influences. Risk factors for sudden and unexpected infant death may be related to susceptibility to diseases in adult age.