[Demography and cause of death in a Local Health Unit in Lombardy].

We studied demography from 1980 to 1987 and death causes in the population of the USSL 12 of LombardY in 1986-1987. The USSL includes 63,255 inhabitants on a surface of 60 km2. BIRTH and mortality rates. We collected data about births, deaths, immigration and emigration in every municipality of USSL 12 from 1980 to 1987. In those years the birth rates was constant about 10% and mortality rate was about 8%. We did not find significant phenomena of migration. The fertility rate in 1987 shows two peaks: the first at the age of 26-27 years, the second at the age of 31 years. Population distribution in age classes. We compared the population distribution in 1971 to the distribution in 1981. We found a decrease of 20% in population under 20 and an increase of 24% in population over 65 years. These increase is higher in females (relative increase of 62%) then in males (relative increase of 28%). Ages and death causes. The death age average in 1986-1987 is 67 years for males and 73 years for females. Under 65 years the more frequent and important death causes are neoplastic diseases (breast, lungs, alimentary tract), cardiovascular diseases, traffic accidents. We registered only 6% of deaths under 40 years of age.