Mortality due to cardiovascular disease in women during the reproductive age (15 to 49 years), in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1991 to 1995

Abstract

Objective -To describe mortality due to cardiovascular The significance of cardiovascular diseases as causes of morbidity and mortality in females has been reported in the last few years mainly for postmenopausal women [1][2][3][4] .Lotufo 4 compared mortality rates according to age, in persons ranging from 45 to 64 years old during the period from 1984 to 1987 in eight Brazilian capitals with similar statistics in European countries and in the United States. He found that heart diseases in these Brazilian cities have a high mortality rate, which is similar or even higher than that observed in those countries, especially among females.However, few studies have focused on young women in their reproductive age, that is, before menopause 5-8 .Haddad and Silva 8 studied the causes of death and maternal mortality in women 15-to 49 years old in the state of São Paulo during the period from 1991 to 1995. They noticed that in younger women (15 to 34 years old) underlying causes of death were frequently among those described in chapter XVII of the International Classification of Diseases, 9 th revision (CID-9) 9 , as well as lesions and poisoning, but in 35-to 49-year-old-women, diseases described in chapters II and VII of the CID-9 (neoplasms and circulatory system, respectively) became the most frequent causes. Lesions and poisoning occupied a third position in 35-to 44-yearold women and the fifth position in 45-to 49-year-old women. Respiratory diseases, reported in chapter VIII, were present in all studied ages of the five most frequent underlying causes of death, occupying the third position in the 45 to 49 year age group.Another observation was that diseases reported in chapter I of CID -infectious and parasitic diseases-in all age groups occupied the seventh or eighth position in the descending range of the median coefficients of mortality in five years. The great decrease in the incidence of these diseases, together with the increased incidence of chronic diseases and diseases of external causes, support the idea that an epidemiological transition has occurred in São Paulo secondary to the demographic, socioeconomic, and sanitary changes that have emerged in the last decades. The same authors also noted that among the main causes of maternal

Disparity in Mortality From Rheumatic Heart Disease in Indigenous Australians

“…An Indigenous person living in the NT of Australia is 54.8 times more likely to die of RHD than a non‐Indigenous person. RHD mortality was ≈50% higher for women than for men among both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous persons, and that finding is consistent with other evidence of higher RHD mortality in women …”

“…RHD mortality was 50% higher for women than for men among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons, and that finding is consistent with other evidence of higher RHD mortality in women. 10,19,20 The excess RHD mortality of the NT Indigenous population (compared with the non-Indigenous population) is at least partly due to poorer living conditions and household overcrowding. 21 Poorer access to health care for the large proportion of the NT Indigenous population that lives in remote areas may also play a role.…”

Causes of death and associated risk factors among climacteric women from Southern Brazil: a population based-study

“…A study by Schmitt et al [36] underscores that, between 1979 and 2004, cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, and ill-defined causes were the main causes of death in women in Brazil; these results are similar to those observed in the present study. Therefore, despite the small number of deaths (4.7%), our study confirms data from previous studies, supporting the notion that CVD are the main cause of death in women in Brazil [15,17,19]. …”

“…Also, studies have consistently shown that diabetes mellitus (DM) [5,6], smoking [7,8], hypertension [9,10], high body mass index (BMI) [11-13] and serum lipids [14] are associated with increased CVD risk. Therefore, even though CVD mortality has decreased in recent decades [15,16] following improvements in prevention, diagnosis, and timing of treatment [17], along with gradual improvement in economic conditions, more widespread access to drugs [18], heath surveillance, and policies of health promotion [15], CVD remains a major cause of death [15], and the main cause of female mortality in Brazil [15,17,19]. …”

Jones criteria and underdiagnosis of rheumatic fever

“…Prevalence of ARF in this area is high. 8,9,10 and the staff rheumatologists are nationally board-certified and well experienced in managing this disease.…”