The WHO project MONICA – MONItoring of CArdiovascular diseases – started in the early 1980’s with the aim of assessing the causes of the observed decline in coronary hearth diseases in some Countries. The aim was to understand if those changes were related to a change in disease incidence, or a change in case-fatality.

 

Data were collected over 10 years in 37 populations belonging to 21 Countries located all over the world. Thanks to the project, it was possible to apply a standardized protocol to measure trends in cardiovascular mortality and coronary heart disease and to assess the extent to which these trends are related to changes in risk factors, and to treatments received during the acute phase. In Italy the project was implemented in the Area-Brianza and in the Area-Friuli VG; in the Area-Latina the study was interrupted after 3 years.

 

The MONICA project experience highlighted the need for adopting standardized methodologies and procedures. For this reason, at the end of the 1990’s, a Register of major coronary and cerebrovascular events was launched in 8 geographical areas in the North, Centre and South of Italy.

 

Read more

• Coronary and cerebrovascular events surveillance
• Longitudinal studies
• Population registers
• National Register of major coronary and cerebrovascular events: methodology