Cause and age-related mortality trends in Bangladesh

Background The purpose of this study was to analyze mortality trends in Bangladesh from 2000 to 2008, to identify the main causes of death, and categorize them by sex and age group. Methods This study used vital registration, maternal and child health data collected from Matlab, a rural area of Bangladesh, in 2000, 2004 and 2008.The data were collected and published by Health and Demographic Surveillance System of ICDDR, B. Results This study indicates a downward trend in communicable disease, neonatal and maternal, injury and miscellaneous mortality. Only non-communicable diseases (NCDs) revealed an uprising trend for both males and females. Among the NCDs, circulatory system related diseases were most common in Bangladesh. The second major cause of death was neoplasm. The risk of deaths from non-communicable diseases increased with age. The overall death rates were higher for males than females. Males of ages 45 and above were greatly affected by circulatory system related diseases and neoplasm. Circulatory system related deaths were highest (34.01%) in the 70-79 age group. Neoplasm related deaths were highest (34.38%) in the 60-69 age group. Similar patterns were observed for females. Circulatory system related diseases, respiratory related diseases and neoplasms greatly affected females of the 45-59 and above age group. The highest percentage (38.65%) of circulatory system related deaths was found in the 70-79 age group; neoplasm related deaths were highest (29.41%) in the 45-49 age group; and the highest percentage (32.69%) of respiratory related diseases was found in the 60-69 age group. Conclusions It was observed that a large portion of the population died because of non-communicable diseases. Public awareness about common NCDs and the risk factors involved should be raised. Promoting health-related content both in male and female education can bring improvements in reducing NCDs. 1 2