Coronary heart disease: key data sources

Incidence

The incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) can be estimated from the ISD linked database, by counting:

• 'new' SMR01 hospital admissions for CHD (ie records for people with no previous admission for CHD since the database started); plus
• deaths from CHD for people with no SMR01 record for CHD.

However, it is essential to understand the major limitations of this approach - these are detailed on the ISD linked database page accessed by the above link. 

Mortality

Information on deaths from CHD is collated from death registrations by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS).

Prevalence

Information on CHD prevalence can be obtained from a number of sources such as the Scottish Health Survey 2003 (Cardiovascular disease report) and the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Both of these data sources provide high level estimates of prevalence.  The 2008 Scottish Health Survey report includes updated estimates of prevalence.

To get more detailed estimates by age and sex, ISD Scotland's CHD and Stroke Programme used hospital discharge data to identify patients treated in Scottish hospitals with a CHD diagnosis. These records were linked to the national Community Health Index (CHI) and the resulting data forms a register of patients still alive, with details of age, sex, area deprivation score and the GP practice and Community Health Partnership (CHP) to which they belong. Further details can be found on ISD's CHD prevalence page.

Hospital discharge data

Statistics on discharges from hospital due to CHD are held in the Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) databases.

Practice Team Information

The Practice Team Information (PTI) scheme provides information on the number of people who consult GP practices in Scotland and the reasons for consultations. An overview of the PTI scheme is available. Data on the patterns of consultations by age and sex and trends over time are available under the CHD heading on ISD's PTI page.