[Which are the causes of death among Chileans today?. Long-term perspectives]

During the last decades, Chile experienced substantial socioeconomic, epidemiological and demographic changes. These resulted, among other consequences, in a deceleration of population growth, a notorious decrease in fertility rates, and one of the most rapid and deepest drop in general and infant mortality rates in the Latin American region. These changes resulted in a sustained increase of life expectancy and a substantial ageing of the Chilean population. This process is also changing the disease burden of the population. Infectious and perinatal diseases lost relevance as major causes of mortality, and have been replaced by chronic non transmissible diseases, specifically cardiovascular conditions and cancer, that are becoming the main causes of death. High blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, overweight and obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and depression will have a great impact on health conditions during the XXI century. These factors and a persistent social inequity will hinder the efforts to reduce the impact and consequences of chronic non transmissible, diseases in the Chilean population.