Mortality rates in the population of a mountain municipality of crete

N. Antonakis, K. Makri, C. Kalpadaki, C. Lionis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the mortality rates and the causes of death of the population of the municipality of Anogia, Crete registered 1981-1995. METHOD: The 2290 inhabitants living in the municipality of Anogia, (Anogia and Sisarha villages) comprised the study population. Four hundred and sixty- three death certificates were following the guidelines of the World Health Organization and the underlying causes of death were retrieved, classified according to the international classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death (9th revision, ICD-9). Crude age- and sex, specific, and proportional mortality rates were calculated for three age groups (0-14, 15- 64, 65+years). Specific and standardized mortality rates from various causes of death were also calculated. RESULTS: The crude mortality rate was 13.5 per 1000 inhabitants per year. Diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 34.5% of all deaths and neoplasm, for 23.9%. The standardized mortality from ischemic heart diseases was 58.4 per 100,000 inhabitants per year, considerably lower than that reported from Greece as a whole in 1988. In contrast, the standardized mortality from suicide was 18.2 per 100,000 inhabitants per year much higher than the corresponding rate for Greece (4.0 per 100,000 per year). CONCLUSIONS: Although the mortality from ischemic heart disease and neoplasms in our study area was higher than in another rural district in Crete, it seems to be lower than that which is reported generally in Greece. Nutritional habits and life style related factors partly explain the observed rates. The mortality from suicide which was on a higher level than that reported in Greece as a whole demands further investigation in this homogenous and remote population of Crete.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)294-299
Number of pages6
JournalArchives of Hellenic Medicine
Volume14
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 1997

Keywords

  • Crete
  • Greece
  • Mortality rates

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mortality rates in the population of a mountain municipality of crete'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this