Coronary heart disease mortality among Arab and Jewish residents of Jerusalem

Information on coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Palestinian population is sparse. We compared mortality rates in the largely Palestinian Arab population of Jerusalem with the Jewish population of the district between 1984 and 1997 based on official Israeli statistics. CHD mortality and all-cause mortality rates were significantly higher among Arab residents than among Jewish residents aged 35–74 years. Whether the excess CHD mortality reflects increased incidence of events, higher case fatality, or both remains to be established. Possible explanations include a higher prevalence of conventional risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, and smoking in Palestinians, stress effects related to the complex political situation and socioeconomic inequalities, and suspected differences in medical care.