Trends in overall mortality and from diseases of the circulatory system in elderly individuals in Rio Branco, Acre, 1980-2012

Abstract

Objective: To analyze trends in general mortality and circulatory system disease mortality among elderly persons living in the city of Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, from 1980 to 2012. Method: A study of the cause of death of elderly people was carried out from the data available in the Brazilian Mortality Information System. Crude and age-based overall and circulatory system mortality rates were calculated. The trend analyses of these rates were performed using the JoinPoint Regression program. Results: Despite the reductions in mortality rates, diseases of the circulatory system remained the main cause of death of the elderly in Rio Branco. The decrease in overall mortality rates was higher among elderly women and those aged 70 years or older. There was a tendency for death rates due to diseases of the circulatory system to decline among elderly men and grow among elderly women. Conclusion: The mortality rate among the elderly in Rio Branco revealed a declining trend. Deaths from diseases of the circulatory system were the leading cause of death, suggesting that research should be carried out to assess the need for investment to ensure that increased longevity is accompanied by good quality of life.

Tendência temporal da mortalidade em idosos em municípios no estado do Acre

“…In Rio Branco, the mortality rate from all causes showed a decreasing and constant trend over the study period (APC=-0.94%) and (APC=-1.37%) for the age group from 70 to 79 years old. A study carried out in this municipality, which analyzed the trend of mortality from all causes in the period from 1980 to 2012 when assessing by age group, the trends are also similar in terms of their declining behavior in individuals aged 70 to 79 years with a decrease in -1.3% 12 , similar to that found in this investigation. Other studies also showed similar results, such as the one carried out in Recife, PE, Brazil, which assessed mortality in old people from 1996 to 2007 and showed a decreasing trend of -0.86% per year 16 .…”

“…Mortality rates were presented per 100,000 people/year and their standardization, relative to the population aged ≥60 years, was performed using the direct method, using the world population as the standard, proposed in 1960 and modified in 1966 10 . This reference was adopted for making the results of this study comparable with previous studies 11,12 , since this is the most frequent methodology in investigations with this theme.…”

Mortality in community-dwelling elderly: coefficient and associated factors

“…In this sense, Brazilian research conducted with community-dwelling elderly individuals observed higher odds ratios for mortality in the presence of heart disease (OR = 1.76; 95% CI 0.98-3.14) (4) . Furthermore, ecological studies conducted in the Rio Grande do Norte (5) and Acre (12) identified that the leading cause of death in older adults is the circulatory system's diseases, being even more evident among the longevous adults. The most frequent specific cause is stroke.…”

“…Thus, there is a need for global assessment studies of the elderly, in the community's context, with longitudinal methodology and analysis of death's leading causes. The results can direct health services to develop better actions for the promotion and protection of this population's health (11)(12) .…”

“…The aspects related to mortality are considered primary indicators for assessing the population's health by providing necessary information for developing public policies (12) . In this sense, identifying the conditions associated with mortality in community-dwelling elderly is essential so that strategies can be developed and applied in this population, aiming to provide quality to the additional years of life (4) .…”