Cardiovascular disease mortality in the Americas

Despite subregional differences, mortality profiles have undergone major changes in most countries of the Americas. While the proportion of deaths caused by noncommunicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, has increased, overall age-adjusted mortality rates attributable to all cardiovascular disease are declining in 13 of the 15 countries selected for the present study. About half the countries showed decreasing mortality rates for ischaemic heart disease; the other half had increasing rates. The mortality rates for cerebrovascular disease and hypertensive disease declined in all but four countries. The ischaemic heart disease/cerebrovascular disease mortality ratio increased as a consequence of a greater decline in deaths due to cerebrovascular disease, except in two countries that exhibited a greater decline for ischaemic heart disease. With few exceptions the male-to-female mortality ratios increased for all cardiovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, reflecting a greater decline in female mortality. In general there was a decline in all cardiovascular disease mortality for almost every age group in the North American, Southern Cone, English-speaking Caribbean, and Andean subregions, while there were increases in the Central American and Latin Caribbean subregions. The magnitude of the changes was related to the initial level of mortality and the date of onset of the decline. Change began earlier and the declines were largest in the countries with the highest initial mortality levels, whereas in the countries that initially had comparatively low values the mortality rates are still increasing. Insufficient information is available to permit elucidation of the determinants of the changes reported. There has been speculation about the possible role of factors such as demographic and sociocultural changes, changes in lifestyle and subsequently in the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and the increased utilization of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.