Mortality Rate and Years of Life Lost Due to Premature Death From Respiratory Dis-eases: A Five-Year Trend (2014-2018)

Background and Objectives: Chronic respiratory diseases impose a significant socioeconomic burden on individuals and communities and are severely overlooked compared to other non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the mortality rate and years of life lost due to respiratory diseases in northern Iran. Methods: The documentary research method was used and data were collected using the census. The population included all deaths registered in the health department of Golestan University of Medical Sciences in Iran during 2014-2018. Results: Between 2014 and 2018, 2462 deaths due to respiratory diseases were recorded in Golestan province, of which 1416 people (57.5%) were men and 1046 people (42.5%) were women. The average age of death was 62.28 ± 26.29 years, with an average of 62.56 ± 25.32 years for men and 61.90  ±27.56 years for women. The highest number of deaths due to respiratory diseases in all the studied years was in men and women aged 80 years and above (28.7% and 31.1%, respectively). Approximately, 6864 years of life were lost due to premature death during this period, with men (3511 years, 7.2 per 1,000) contributing more than women (3353 years, 7.2 per 1,000).   Conclusion: Given the rapid increase in population and given that the crucial risk factors for respiratory diseases are smoking, exposure to pollutants, and allergens, more comprehensive research seems necessary throughout Iran. In addition, this study was designed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to changes that this pandemic has caused in the mortality rate, therefore, it is recommended to investigate the trend of mortality by respiratory diseases during this pandemic.