[Premature mortality from heart diseases in Brazil. A comparison with other countries].
OBJECTIVE
Chronic diseases have been the main cause of mortality in the Brazilian metropolitan areas since 1960. Circulatory diseases are the main causes of chronic diseases. The aim was to compare the heart disease related premature deaths in Brazil with other countries in 1984-87.


METHODS
We studied the deaths from the official mortality statistics from eight metropolitan areas with good assurance of information: Belém, Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Curitiba, Porto Alegre. Death causes analyzed were coronary heart disease (410-414); and heart diseases [ischemic heart disease (410-414) plus heart failure (428) plus, hypertension (401-404)]. The population was determined from the National Brazilian Census in 1980 and 1991, in other years it was determined by linear interpolation.


RESULTS
The international comparison showed that: a) heart disease mortality rates for Brazilian men was ranked (Hungary, Rio de Janeiro, Finland, Porto Alegre and Poland) in the medium and among women (Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Hungary, Porto Alegre and England and Wales) in the top; b) coronary heart diseases showed the same pattern of heart diseases for men (Finland, Hungary, England and Wales, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro) and for women (Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Hungary, Porto Alegre, England and Wales).


CONCLUSIONS
The international comparison of age-adjusted mortality rates in the age strata 45-years-old to 64-years-old during the period 1984-87 showed that Brazilian cities had a high mortality pattern of heart diseases, similar or greater than Europe or United States, mainly among women.
Lotufo
P A
PA
Hospital das Clínicas--FMUSP.
D017677:Age Distribution; D001938:Brazil; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000401:mortality; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors