4,862 fewer people died in Lithuania last year than in 2021. The main cause of death has not changed for many years

According to the Institute of Hygiene, 42,884 people died in Lithuania last year, which is 4,862 less than in 2021. due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although mortality has decreased, circulatory system diseases remain the main cause of death in Lithuania. Last year, they accounted for more than half – 52.5 percent. – of all deaths. Malignant tumors are in second place, accounting for 18.4 percent. of all deaths, in third place is the COVID-19 disease (6.1 percent of all deaths). Professor Jelena Čelutkienė, president of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiology, is convinced that the main cause of death among Lithuanians can be changed if health politicians and society take action.

Deaths have decreased, but the causes remain the same

According to the president of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiology, although the decrease in mortality is encouraging, the main cause of death in Lithuania, which has not changed for many years, is worrying – diseases of the circulatory system.

“The European Society of Cardiology calls on the members of the European Union to create and implement national Heart Health Plans, which would include complex measures in all sectors of the health system. As long as the society does not know what the real situation of the availability of health services and their quality is, then Lithuania will remain the country with the highest cardiovascular risk”, emphasizes the professor.

According to her, in some European countries, such as France, Spain and Portugal, oncological diseases are the leading cause of death, and diseases of the circulatory system have moved into second place.

“In these countries, the cases of death from circulatory diseases account for about 30 percent. of all deaths, oncological diseases take the lead there. Predicting oncological diseases is much more difficult than diseases of the circulatory system, which in most cases can be avoided by choosing the right prevention. Doctors’ plans and good wishes alone will not be enough to change the situation, society must also have a plan to improve its health and take action,” says J. Čelutkienė.

According to her, in order to prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases, it is especially important to monitor the level of cholesterol in the blood in Lithuania, because increased cholesterol signals an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

“If cholesterol is already too high, not only lifestyle changes are necessary, but also medication in many cases. Statins are one of the safest cardiovascular drugs that lower cholesterol and prevent other diseases of the circulatory system. They allow you to live longer, and their side effects are the least compared to other medications for the treatment of circulatory diseases,” says the professor.

Women live longer and die more often from diseases of the circulatory system

According to prof. J. Čelutkienė, although the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system remains high, their decrease is noticeable. It is true that women die more often from these diseases (58.4% of women’s causes of death) than men (46% of men’s causes of death).

Last year, 712 men per hundred thousand people died from diseases of the circulatory system, and in 2021 747 men per 100,000 population. in 2022 Women’s death rate from circulatory system diseases has also decreased, but overall it is higher than men’s, at 2022. 866 women per hundred thousand people died from these diseases, and in 2021 – 883.

According to J. Čelutkienė, there are several factors influencing the higher mortality of women.

“The structure of men’s mortality in general is slightly different than that of women. A significant number of men die not because of diseases of the circulatory system, but because of malignant tumors, external causes such as suicides and traffic accidents, so they do not live to the age where they die from cardiovascular diseases, explains the professor. – Their average life expectancy is about ten years shorter than that of women. Women, living longer, get diseases of the circulatory system. In rare cases, they die from external causes – such numbers are not even mentioned in the summary of the Institute of Hygiene publication.”

She adds that there is also a downward trend in deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke among the working-age population (16-64 years).

Access to health services is important

According to J. Čelutkienė, in addition to the reduced mortality in 2022. helped by the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Decreased mortality in Lithuania was also influenced by the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, from which in 2021 7 thousand died. people. Last year, 4,400 fewer people died from this cause. However, in 2022 is a post-pandemic period, so this should be kept in mind when estimating the number of deaths from COVID-19. The pandemic had a strong impact on overall mortality, with a significant increase in the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system. One of the main reasons is the disruption of the functioning of the health system during the pandemic – it was difficult for people to get to doctors if they had complaints not related to the COVID-19 disease. The pandemic period highlighted the importance of the work of doctors and the availability of health services,” says the professor.

in 2022 the health care system and preventive programs have recovered, it has become easier to see doctors, so, according to J. Čelutkienė, the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system has also decreased.

“We hope that this year we will be able to further reduce the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system. On May 1 of this year, an updated preventive cardiovascular disease program was presented to Lithuanian residents, which is open to men and women between 40 and 60 years of age who do not suffer from cardiovascular diseases. This is the best way to take care of your cardiovascular health. The essence of this program is to correct the identified risk factors and thereby postpone cardiovascular diseases or prevent their development in the future. The earlier risk factors are corrected and treatment is started, the more likely it is to prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, I strongly encourage everyone who can participate in this program to do so,” urges the doctor.

Press release