Mortality from arterial hypertension in the regions of the Russian Federation in the period from 2013 to 2019.

Aim      To analyze the dynamics of mortality from arterial hypertension (AH) between 2013 and 2019.Material and methods  Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the most common diseases. At the same time, there are no unified international criteria for establishing the primary cause of death from AH. Data were studied for the period between the end of the program for modernization of health care and the start of the Federal Project "Program for combatting cardiovascular diseases". Data for 2013-2019 by AH-related codes were provided by the Federal Service of State Statistics on request via the C15 form, "Mortality by gender and one-year age groups". A standardized mortality ratio, its mean value, standard deviation, and a coefficient of variation were determined for each "cause". The standardized mortality ratio was calculated using the European standard.Results In Russia during the studied period, the standardized mortality ratio for the death from AH yearly decreased (1.7 times for 6 years; the standardized mortality ratio decreased 1.15 times). However, only in 7 regions, the standardized mortality ratio yearly decreased while in the other regions of the Russian Federation, the standardized mortality ratio changed wavily. In 17 regions of the Russian Federation, the standardized mortality ratio increased in 2019 compared to 2013, including the 31.7 time increase in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. In the Penza Region and the Republic of Kalmykia in 2018, there were no cases of death related with AH. The highest value of the standardized mortality ratio was observed in the Chukotka Autonomous District in 2019 (85.13 per 100,000 population) and the lowest value was observed in the Penza Region (0.14 per 100,000 population). The ratio of maximal to minimal values of the standardized mortality ratio was 622. The coefficient of variation for regional standardized mortality ratios increased by 42.3 % (from 86.8 to 123.5 %).Conclusion      Although the standardized mortality ratio for death from AH, in general, decreased in the Russian Federation, Russian regions showed variable dynamics and a high variability of the standardized mortality ratio. The study results together with results of international studies showed that differences in standardized mortality ratios for death from AH are largely due to different approaches to determining the primary cause of death. An international consensus on the terminology and criteria for determining the primary cause of death is required.