Circulatory system diseases kill 162,000 in Turkey

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Circulatory system diseases are the cause behind some 38.4% of all deaths cases in Turkey last year, official statistics revealed on Friday.

In Turkey, more than 421,000 people died in 2018, some nearly 162,000 of them was the victim of circulatory system diseases, the Turkish Statistical Institute said.

Neoplasms and respiratory system diseases followed it with 19.7% and 12.5%, respectively, TurkStat noted.

The institute said deaths due to circulatory system diseases in 2018 were based on ischemic heart diseases with 39.7% and cerebrovascular diseases with 22.4%.

"The number of death cases caused by malignant neoplasms in total was 81,129 in 2018. 30.8% of these deaths were caused by malignant neoplasms of larynx and trachea/bronchus/lung," it said.

Last year, males consisted 54.3% (228,887) of all death cases in Turkey.

"As the causes of death statistics were examined by age groups, it was found that diseases of the circulatory system were seen mostly in the 75-84 age group with 51,376 people," TurkStat said.

It added: "Benign and malignant neoplasms were seen mostly in the 65-74 age group with 23,674 people in 2018."

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

TurkStat releases causes of death statistics, which are essential data for evaluating public health, compiled and coded in accordance with World Health Organization rules, once a year, with the next report due in April, 2020.