[Smoking-attributable mortality in Tucumán, Argentina 2001-2010]

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. In Argentina, in 2000, 16% of deaths were attributable to tobacco in over 35 years. In Tucuman it exis data on prevalence of, snuff consumption but not on mortality related to smoking. Our objective was to estimate the number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking, the percentage attributable fraction, the rate of age-adjusted mortality and disability-adjusted life years. A cross-sectional descriptive study of mortality associated with smoking in adults over 35 years in Tucuman was conducted between 2001 and 2010; 19 causes provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were grouped in cardiovascular diseases, malignancies and respiratory diseases. In the last decade, from a total of 77 220 deaths documented in Tucuman, 3131 [4.1% (CI 95%: 3.9-4.2)] were attributed to snuff, 77% in men with the highest attributable fraction percentage in the range of 35 to 64 years. Rate age-adjusted mortality ranged from 87.5 in 2001 to 52.1 in 2008. In the first half period cardiovascular diseases predominated, followed by malignancies. On average 3203 years of potential life lost were quantified; where cardiovascular diseases accounted for 55.3%. The percentage of deaths attributable to snuff in Tucuman was lower than that recorded for Argentina. Even though there is anti-tobacco legislation in Tucuman, it is necessary to strengthen it.