Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Rates in Nine Cities of Rio Grande do Sul from 2009 to 2019: Temporal Trends and Demographic Differences

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Brazil and worldwide, 1 accounting for 28% of all deaths that occurred nationwide in 2016. 2 The high mortality rates due to CVD place Brazil among the ten countries in the world with the highest cardiovascular death rate. 3 This position in the global ranking can be attributed to the high accumulation of cardiovascular risk factors. 4 According to the Framingham Heart Study, more than half of CVD mortality is associated with modifiable risk factors including hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, systemic arterial hypertension, obesity and smoking. 5 On the other hand, non-modifiable factors such as male gender and advanced age are also associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular outcomes. [6][7][8] In Rio Grande do Sul (RS), mortality due to CVD represented 31% of all deaths that occurred between 1998 and 2012. 9 Thus, the study of this population, through the analysis of sentinel cities, these being reference health centers for the state regions, is relevant considering that cardiovascular mortality is associated with several factors, and its distribution can be differentiated according to the context in which Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2022; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0