Resumen

ALONSO, FAUSTINO TOMÁS; GARMENDIA, MARÍA LUISA; DE AGUIRRE, MAGDALENA  y  SEARLE, JAVIER. Mortality trend from liver cirrhosis in Chile from 1990 to 2007. Rev. méd. Chile [online]. 2010, vol.138, n.10, pp.1253-1258. ISSN 0034-9887.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872010001100007.

Background: There is a worldwide tendency towards a reduction in the rates of deaths due to cirrhosis. In Chile, a decrease in the number of hospital admissions due to this disease has been recorded. Aim: To assess general characteristics and temporal evolution of liver cirrhosis mortality in Chile between 1990 and 2007. Material and Methods: National death records and population databases were reviewed. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates for alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhosis were calculated, evaluating their evolution in the study period and the relative risk by gender. Results: In the study period, 44,894 deaths caused by cirrhosis were recorded. Mortality rate was 16.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. 54% of deaths were attributed to non-alcoholic cirrhosis. There was a reduction in mortality rates for both types of cirrhosis. Males accounted for 83 and 65% of deaths caused by alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhosis, respectively. The figures for relative risk of death were 5 and 1.9, respectively. Conclusions: Alcoholic cirrhosis was the preponderant cause among liver cirrhosis deaths. A decrease in mortality rates was observed in the study period. Improvements in disease treatment and control could possibly explain this trend.

Palabras clave : Liver cirrhosis; Mortality; Public health.

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