Browsing by Author "Ballew, Alfie"

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    Increased Ischemic Cardiac Deaths in Central Indiana in Summer Months Compared to Winter Months
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Cook, Shannon; Lloyd, Frank, Jr.; Ballew, Alfie; Sandusky, George E.
    Cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death in the United States for several decades. Despite sustained declines in the mortality rates from these diseases, the magnitude of the disease is still staggering. One large recent study, using data on hundreds of heart attacks documented in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction, found that 53 percent more cases in winter than in summer. The primary culprit, many believe, is temperature. Cold weather narrows coronary arteries and raises blood pressure, stressing the heart. Physical strain and ruptured plaques caused by shoveling snow are also commonly cited. But in a recent study, two researchers, found that the risk increases even in warm climates. Analyzing death certificates in seven regions with different climates, Los Angeles, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and others found that cardiovascular deaths rose up to 36 percent between summer and winter, regardless of climate and temperatures In this study we evaluated the incidence of ischemic cardiomyopathy in the Central Indiana area in the winter months compared to the summer months for the years 1998 to 2002. Approximately 5325 deaths were seen in the Marion County Morgue in central Indiana in this time period. There were 609 ischemic cardiac deaths seen in the summer (March 15th through October 15th) compared to 434 ischemic cardiac deaths seen in the winter (October 15th through March 15th). The deaths by years in the summer were 129, 131, 92, 127, and 130 and in the winter were 95, 96, 90, 96, and 57 respectively. In conclusion, this study was consistent with the outcome as the previous study done in multiple northern and southern cities in the country.
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    Natural Cardiac Deaths in Central Indiana
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Dodge, Chelsea; Lloyd, Frank, Jr.; Ballew, Alfie; Sandusky, George E.
    Cardiovascular disease is still the major cause of death in the USA for the past 50 to 60 years. Within cardiovascular disease there are many subtypes that cause death including hypertensive heart disease, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiomegaly, and misc.). In this review study we examined the Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana Morgue, Indiana database for the total of deaths that occurred between 2004 through 2012 and evaluated the number of cardiovascular deaths including the various CV subtypes mentioned above. There were approximately 13,000 deaths examined that were sent to the Marion County Morgue during that time frame in Central Indiana. Approximately 2950 deaths were due to CV disease (22.6%). Total ischemia (coronary artery disease) was 1939 made up the majority of the CV related deaths. This was followed by hypertensive heart disease (571) and congestive heart failure (189). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (89), cardiomegaly (16), and cardiac tamponade (11) made up the rest. Cardiac arrhythmias and myocarditis made up the remaining CV causes of death (131). In a previous study done at the Marion County Morgue from 1987 to 2003 focused on hypertensive CV disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy found 165 deaths and 134 deaths respectively. Compared to the previous local study in the same population the incidence of hypertensive heart disease was moderately increased. There was not much difference between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy between the two studies. Both studies are fairly consistent when compared to national statistics on cardiovascular death in the country.