The analysis of mortality from cardiovascular diseases in Pomeranian province.
PURPOSE: Descriptive epidemiology characterises frequency of appearance of given event (here decease) in dependence of many factors concerning a person, region or time of existence of given salubrious phenomena. The source of information was the official death registry that provides complete records of all deaths that took place in Pomeranian province. This description of sanitary situation of people from particular area enables doing comparison between regions, facilitates researching etiological factors, planning work of medical workers and programming preventive rules. Cardiovascular diseases during last fifty years are the main reason of death of people from developed countries which is also Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The aim of this work is to find out differences in health condition between citizens of Pomeranian province and other people in Poland and countries of European Union. RESULTS: In Pomeranian province in 2002 the highest mortality from cardiovascular diseases was observed for Sztum county (587.5/100,000) and was 72.5% of all deaths in this region. Similarly, there was high mortality these reasons in Tczew county (442.1/100,000), Malbork county (406.9/ 100,000) and also in Tricity (424.8/100,000). The lowest mortality from cardiovascular diseases was observed in Gdańsk county (257.2/100,000) and was only 40% of all deaths in this region. Relatively low mortality was in Czluchow county (288.9/100,000). Frequency of death from cardiovascular diseases in Pomeranian province has become lower from year 2000 (361.0/100,000) to year 2002 (347.9/100,000). It was lower than in other parts of Poland (449.8/100,000 in year 2000) but higher than in countries of European Union (257.8/100,000 in year 2000). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality from cardiovascular diseases has decreased during last few years. Also there are distinctions in this phenomena among regions of Pomeranian province, other parts of Poland and countries of European Union. From these reasons health care should be differentiated to address the differences in spatial patterns of risk observed.