Population health and social stress (from the prevalence of myocardial infarction and gastric and duodenal ulcer)

Purpose: to analyze the health of the population as a marker of social stress by comparing the analytical parameters of the prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI) and gastric and duodenal ulcer (U). Material and Methods. We examined the data of the official statistical reports of the Saratov Health Committee. The prevalence of MI and U in 1990–2000 was studied. The excitability, sensitivity, and stability of the population system were judged by analyzing the speed characteristics and fragments of phase portraits of the prevalence of MI and U in a multidimensional phase space. Results. The multidirectional speed characteristics of the dynamics of the prevalence of MI and U in the population were revealed; a different number of time points when the sign of the rate of change in the prevalence of pathology changed to the opposite (for MI — 5 times, for U — 3 times); the direction of movement of the image point is centrifugal for MI and centripetal for U. Conclusion. The excitability and stability of the population system is higher in terms of the prevalence of MI, the sensitivity of the population system is higher in terms of the prevalence of U.