Cardiovascular mortality by gender and age range in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil: 1996 to 1998, and 2003 to 2005.

BACKGROUND

Knowledge on the trends of cardiovascular mortality is important to make hypotheses on its occurrence as well as to support prevention and control measures.

OBJECTIVES

To compare mortality for the group of cardiovascular diseases and their main subgroups (ischemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases) in the city of Sao Paulo by age and gender between the periods of 1996 to1998 and 2003 to 2005.

METHODS

Data on deaths from the Programa de Aprimoramento das Informações de Mortalidade para o Município(Program of Improvement of Information on Mortality for the City), and population estimates from the SEADE Foundation of the State of Sao Paulo were used. The magnitude of mortality and its changes between the three-year periods were measured using the description of coefficients and relative percentage variation. The Poisson regression model was also used to estimate the change in mortality between the periods.

RESULTS

A significant reduction was observed in cardiovascular mortality. The coefficients increased with age in both genders, and were higher in the male population in comparison to the female population, and in the age range of 70 years and older. Mortality coefficients for ischemic heart diseases were higher than those for cerebrovascular diseases among men and women aged 50 years or older. The reduction in the group of cardiovascular diseases was greater among women aged 20 to 29 years (-30%), and among men aged 30 to 39 years (-26%).

CONCLUSION

The intensity of cardiovascular mortality decreased between 1996 and 1998, and 2003 and 2005, however with differences between the groups. This reduction may reflect, in part, a greater access to diagnostic and therapeutic methods.