title: [Mortality attributable to tobacco consumption in the years 1987 and 1997 in Castilla la Mancha, Spain].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Smoking is an important public health problem and is one of the main avoidable causes of morbidity and early mortality. The aim of this work was to describe the mortality attributable to tobacco consumption in Castilla la Mancha between 1987 and 1997.
  
  
  METHODS
  Deaths in relation to age, sex and cause of death were obtained from the Death's Register of Castilla la Mancha. From the National Health Surveys of 1987 and 1997, the percentages of non-smokers, smokers and ex-smokers in the population in relation to age and sex were recorded. The relative risks of death were obtained from the Cancer Prevention Study II, carried out in the United States. The proportion of deaths attributable to smoking was calculated for each year, and according to sex and age group, from the etiological fraction of the population. Likewise, loss of potential life in years and the mean number of years of potential life lost were also calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 18% of all the deaths in Castilla la Mancha can be attributed to tobacco consumption. Mortality is higher in males than in females, and the most important diagnostic categories were tracheobronchopulmonary cancer (24.3%) in males and diseases of the cardiovascular system (24.28%) in females. These were also the conditions most responsible for years of potential life lost.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Every day, in Castilla la Mancha, 8 people die from smoking-related conditions. The measures currently in practise to control tobacco consumption are insufficient.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Investigación Epidemiológica, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud de Castilla-La Mancha, Consejería de Sanidad, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. jjcriado@jccm.es
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Criado-Alvarez
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morant Ginestar
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Lucas Veguillas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012907:Smoking / Q000401:mortality*; D013030:Spain