Introcution: Mortality statistics are among the important health indicators. Despite of some available studies on the mortality of Iranian older adults, these are not adequately considered compared with other demographic groups such as children under 5 years old and pregnant women. The current study aims to investigate the causes and trends of mortality among Iran older adults and to compare them with global statistics.
Methods: In the current study, the World Health Organization available data on the causes of death for different sexes, age groups and countries were analyzed. After calculation and raking of cause-specific death rates and proportional mortality from the specific diseases, five main causes of death and 20 diseases with highest specific death rates among Iranian older men and women, 60-70 and over 70 years age groups, were reported and compared. The results were also compared with the global statistics.
Findings: Overall, the main groups of cardiovascular diseases (47.75%), malignancies (22.56%), diabetes (5.98%), unintentional injuries (4.86%) and pulmonary diseases (4.53%) were the most common causes of death in the age group 60-69 in 2019 respectively. Meanwhile, in the age group of 70 years and older, cardiovascular disease (54, 09%), malignancies (15.71%), neurologic disorders including dementias (6.80%), pulmonary diseases (5.42%) and diabetes (4.15%) were the main causes of death respectively.
Conclusion: Examining the top 20 causes of mortality shows significant differences in the pattern and rate of mortality between the two age groups of under and over 70 years old, which should be taken into account in studying the specific mortality rates of various diseases, as well as in planning and conducting studies related to the health of the older adult. Since the complications of some diseases that are common causes of death in the elderly, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, are largely preventable, more actions are recommended to identify, control, and prevent the complications of these diseases.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Geriatric Received: 2023/11/17 | Accepted: 2024/02/06 | Published: 2025/02/28