In the year 1985, 998 (734 men, 264 women) cases of acute coronary events were registered among the 25-74 year-old residents of the study area (151,489 men and 171,093 women) of whom 583 (403 men, 180 women) died within 28 days (case fatality). Both AMI as a clinical diagnosis and AMI as a cause of death are validated by defined MONICA diagnostic criteria (acute symptoms, enzyme level, ECG, autopsy diagnosis). The AMI-risk (MONICA diagnostic categories 1, 2, 3, 9) in the study area Augsburg is relatively low (incidence: men 302, women 113; attack rate: men 444, women 138; death rate: men 241, women 92; all per 100,000 for each group). The 28-day case fatality is comparatively high (men 54%, women 67%). A comparison of the Augsburg rates with those of three other centers shows that the Augsburg figures are in the lower range.