Long term correlation between cancer and cardiovascular deaths according to various trends in Slovak districts

Mária Letkovicová1, Hana Zach, Martin Letkovic

  • 1Environment a.s., Centre of Biostatistics and Environment, Nitra, Slovak Republic. letkovicova@environment.sk

Insights

Recorded cardiovascular deaths in Slovakia may not reflect true numbers, potentially including other causes. Mortality patterns vary by district, influenced by death certification quality.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • Official statistics on cardiovascular deaths (CVD) may be inaccurate.
  • Death certifications can misattribute causes of mortality.
  • Understanding regional variations in mortality is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate discrepancies in recorded cardiovascular deaths versus actual mortality.
  • To analyze geographical variations in causes of death across Slovak districts.
  • To assess the correlation between cardiovascular, cancer, and other causes of death.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 519,680 death notifications from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic over 10 years.
  • Utilized fuzzy c cluster analysis and basic epidemiological/statistical methods.
  • Categorized causes of death into cancer, cardiovascular deaths (CVD), and other deaths.

Main Results:

  • Identified Slovak districts with consistently high and low mortality rates.
  • Found a significant correlation between cancer and cardiovascular deaths across districts.
  • Observed an inverse relationship: districts with higher CVD had lower cancer/other deaths, and vice versa.

Conclusions:

  • Recorded CVD mortality may not accurately represent the true burden of cardiovascular disease.
  • Regional differences in mortality patterns are likely influenced by the quality and completeness of death certification.
  • Standardizing death certification practices could improve the accuracy of mortality statistics.

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