Circulatory diseases lead causes of death in Turkey: Report

ANKARA

Circulatory system diseases caused some 38.4 percent of all deaths in Turkey last year, according to official statistics released on April 26.          

Out of more than 421,000 people who died in Turkey in 2018, nearly 162,000 were victims of circulatory system diseases, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said.  The majority of victims, 51,376, were in the 75-84 age range.         

Neoplasms and respiratory system diseases ranked second and third as causes of death with 19.7 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, TÜİK reported. Among the types of circulatory diseases causing death in 2018 were coronary artery diseases, 39.7 percent, and strokes and other cerebrovascular diseases, 22.4 percent.

The ratios of deaths caused by the circulatory system diseases was greatest in the Black Sea province of Çorum in 2018 with 48 percent. The western province of Denizli followed closely with 47.2 percent. Ranking behind were the southern province of Adana, the northwestern province of Çanakkale and western province of Afyonkarahisar, all in the range of 46 percent.

Out of all neoplasms, malignant forms made up the vast majority (about 97.6 percent).

In about 30.8 percent of deaths caused by malignant neoplasms, the disease was concentrated in the larynx, trachea, bronchus or lung, the data shows.

That information adds more detail to data released earlier this month by Tobacco Atlas that showed that smoking-related diseases cause roughly 31 percent of men’s deaths in Turkey, the second highest rate in the world after North Korea.

In total, some 54.3 percent (228,887) of all deaths in Turkey in 2018 were of men, according to TÜİK.

In addition, deaths caused by the benign and malignant neoplasms were detected mostly in: the northwestern province of Kırklareli with 24.6 percent, Istanbul with 23.8 percent, the eastern province of Van and western province of Eskişehir with 23.2 percent, and the northwestern province of Edirne with 23 percent.

According to the institute, other common reasons for death were nervous system and sense organs diseases (4.9 percent), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (4.8 percent) and external causes of injury and poisoning (4.4 percent) in 2018.         

The cause of death statistics released annually in April by TÜİK are essential information for evaluating public health. The data is compiled and coded in accordance with World Health Organization rules.