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[Cardiovascular disease mortality trends in Croatia from 1968 to 1985]
1Skola narodnog zdravlja Andrija Stampar Medicinskog fakulteta Sveucilista u Zagrebu.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease mortality in Croatia increased from 1968-1985, with higher rates in males. A 1980 shift in coding, not a true pattern change, affected heart disease mortality data.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Medical Statistics
Context:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a significant global health burden.
- Croatia experienced rising CVD mortality between 1968 and 1985.
- Sex-specific mortality rates for CVD were notably higher in males across all age groups.
Purpose:
- To analyze trends in cardiovascular disease mortality in Croatia from 1968 to 1985.
- To investigate age-specific and sex-specific mortality patterns for ischemic heart disease (ICD codes 410-414) and other cardiovascular diseases.
- To examine a specific anomaly in mortality data from 1980.
Summary:
- Mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Croatia showed an increasing trend from 1968 to 1985, with males exhibiting higher rates than females across all age demographics.
- Analysis revealed greater sex disparities in mortality attributed to ischemic heart disease compared to other CVDs.
- A notable observation in 1980 indicated a sharp decline in ischemic heart disease mortality and a concurrent rise in other cardiovascular disease mortality within the 65+ age group, suggesting a potential artifact of coding changes rather than a genuine epidemiological shift.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of consistent cause-of-death registration and classification (International Classification of Diseases - ICD).
- Underscores the need for careful interpretation of epidemiological data, especially when coding systems are revised.
- Provides insights into historical cardiovascular disease trends and potential data artifacts in Croatia.
Abstract:
In the period from 1968 to 1985, the mortality from cardiovascular diseases in Croatia was increasing. In age specific rates (0-44, 45-64 and 65+), mortality in males was remarkably higher than that for women. Considering the deaths from ischemic heart disease (ICD code 410-414) as one and deaths from all other cardiovascular diseases as another group, the analysis of the mortality by age shows greater sex differences for ischemic heart diseases. The presented data reveal a particularly interesting fact: in 1980, in the age group 65+ (70% of men and 90% of women suffering from cardiovascular diseases are in that age group), there was a steep decrease in the ischemic heart disease mortality, and, at the same time, a sudden increase in the mortality of all other heart diseases. It suggests that there were no real changes in the mortality pattern, the changes being the consequence of the difference in causes of death registration on the basis of the IX ICD revision.