Diabetes deaths are reduced in the Canary Islands in half in a decade

In the decade that separates 2008 from 2018, diabetes mortality in the islands was reduced by 53.6%.In fact, Pedro Lorenzo, a technician of the General Directorate of Public Health of the Canarian Health Service (SCS), "Diabetes is no longer among the first causes of death in the archipelago."

This is what the data of the National Statistics Institute (INE) reflects.If in 2008 in the Canary Islands 910 people died by diabetes or their complications, in 2018 the figure was reduced to 422 deaths being the number of very similar men and women.However, the fall in mortality from this cause in the last ten years has been 57% among women and 49.2% among men.

In general, the causes of deaths in the islands follow the national trend, increasing the mortality rate by 0.8% compared to 2017. practically the same.

"From the mortality unit we take into account the data of one year, but what we value is the trends because in a year there may be a variation that does not necessarily have to relate to the application of a health plan," he saidThe SCS coach.

What is evident according to the INE data is that "more than 60%" of the deaths that occur in the islands are of people over 65 "and more than 80% among over 75".Which is related to population aging.

Among the specific causes of the deaths, five can be established in a majority way and coincide with the national tendency: tumors, circulatory, respiratory and digestive diseases and external causes in men (suicides) and diseases of the nervous system such as Alzheimer's, in thewomen.In addition, women die more of circulatory diseases than tumors.

"Regarding the previous year, they all increased except diseases nerve diseases in women," said the expert.

4,648 people died in the Canary Islands in 2018 as a result of diseases of the circulatory system.Mostly for heart attacks or accidents (858 and 802 people, respectively).In the last decade, mortality from diseases of the circulatory system has increased 20% among men in the islands and 17% among women.

In addition, deaths from hypertensive diseases (related to arterial hypertension) were more numerous among women (311 in 2018) than among men, 166. But more men who died in the Canary Islands due to acute myocardial infarction (507 men in front of351 women).

Tumors are the second most frequent death in the islands.More than 4,500 people died from this disease in 2018, 18.8% more than a decade ago.And although more men die than women for this cause (2,682 men compared to 1,834 women in 2018), the percentage of affected in the last ten years has increased by 28.3% while among men the increase has been 11, 11,3%.

According to the technician of the General Directorate of Public Health Pedro Lorenzo, among men the first specific causes of mortality are the ischemic (such as infarction), lung cancer, vascular brain diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) andPneumonia while among women "coincides ischemic disease, vascular brain and heart failure, but hypertensive, lung cancer and breast cancer are added."

In the Canary Islands, in addition, the expert abounds, it is noteworthy that diabetes is no longer among the first causes and that colon cancer, which in the whole of Spain is the second cause of mortality, is surpassed in men byProstate cancer and women for breast cancer on the islands ».

The tendency to make diabetes more and more to chronic disease and the cause of the death ofThe Canaries and Canary Islands seem to consolidate "since 2,000."Something that the expert "to health policies in the issue of health promotion" and the awareness of the general population. "

Prevention is also important in prostate and breast cancer and these, on the other hand, says the technician, have increased, while the COPD, in "gross rate" is being maintained thanks to the fact that the smoking habit in the islands is decreasing.However, Pedro Lorenzo attracts attention to what is happening on the islands with tobacco -related diseases.While among men they are decreasing among women increase.

The Canary Islands, according to the INE, recorded in 2018 the highest standardized mortality rate due to respiratory system diseases (127.7), followed by Murcia and the Autonomous City of Melilla.

For this reason, 2,292 people died in the Canary Islands in 2018, 81.1% more than in 2008. In this sense, among men in the last decade, mortality from respiratory system has increased by 75%, while among womenThe increase has been 89.3%.

Alzheimer's deaths in Spain went from 10,402 in 2008 to almost 15,000 in 2018. In the Canary Islands there is also an increase, specifically 45.75%.Among men Alzheimer's as a cause of death has increased 58% in the last ten years, while in women it increased 39.5%.In total in the islands in 2018, 395 people died for this cause.

The islands, says Pedro Lorenzo, "are in terms of mortality in the intermediate table" of the country.«We sin of the same as any society with a certain degree of development.We are exposed to chronic diseases, cancers and ischemic heart disease.There are no differences because from a level of development, certain life and food habits are acquired ».

Proof of this is that the number of women who die as a result of pregnancies, childbirth or puerperium has also been drastically reduced in a decade from 24 who died in 2008 at 7 who lost their lives in 2018. None of themIn the Canary Islands.