Valvular Heart Disease-Related Mortality Between Middle- and High-Income Countries During 2000 to 2019

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Global Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Valvular heart disease (VHD) management has advanced, yet healthcare access disparities persist globally.
• Socioeconomic factors significantly influence VHD outcomes and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze worldwide mortality trends for VHD.
• To compare mortality differences in VHD between middle- and high-income countries.

Main Methods:

• Utilized World Health Organization Mortality Database data from 2000-2019.
• Calculated age-specific and age-standardized mortality rates for VHD and its subgroups (RVD, IE, AS, MR).
• Employed joinpoint regression to analyze mortality trends in 93 countries.

Main Results:

• Crude VHD mortality increased in both middle- and high-income countries.
• Middle-income countries: constant age-standardized VHD mortality, with decreasing rheumatic valvular disease (RVD) but increasing infective endocarditis (IE), aortic stenosis (AS), and mitral regurgitation (MR).
• High-income countries: decreasing age-standardized VHD mortality overall, but noted a sharp rise in IE mortality in younger populations and increasing MR in older adults.

Conclusions:

• VHD presents a growing global mortality burden.
• Significant differences exist in VHD mortality trends between middle- and high-income countries.
• Further research is crucial to elucidate the causes behind these divergent VHD mortality patterns.