STEPHEN CALLEJA

There were 3,243 deaths in 2008: 1,668 men and 1,575 women, according to the annual mortality report just published. The downward trend in mortality rate continues as it has done for the past 10 years, with the standard mortality rate in Malta similar to the EU-15 and lower than that of the new EU member states.

Deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system, such as ischaemic heart disease, stroke and heart failure, were the leading causes of death in 2008, accounting for 40 per cent of the total. The report, drawn up by the Health Information and Research Department, says that despite the downward trend in deaths from ischaemic heart disease, the rate in Malta is higher than the EU-15 average.

Diabetes mellitus is an important risk factor for ischaemic heart disease, as well as being an important disease in its own right, accounting for nearly five per cent of deaths.

Neoplasms (tumours) are the second most common cause of disease, accounting for 26 per cent of the total. It was pointed out that the average age at death due to neoplasms is 70 – much younger than that for circulatory diseases.

Lung cancer, colorectal and pancreatic cancer are the three most common cancers that cause death in men. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, followed by colorectal, pancreatic and ovarian cancers.

In all, there were 298 deaths due to respiratory conditions, making up 9.2 per cent of the total. These conditions tend to affect the older age groups.

The report says that there were also 26 foetal deaths (stillbirths weighing 500 grammes or over).

The crude death rate for males was 814 deaths per 100,000 population, while that for females was 761 deaths per 100,000. The overall crude death rate was 787 per 100,000 population.

The life expectancy at birth for Maltese males was 77 and for females it was 82 years. In 2008, the oldest male death was at the age of 100 and the oldest female death at 104. The average age at death was 75 for men and 81 for women.

Men tend to die before women, which is confirmed by the fact that the greatest number of deaths among men occurs in the married category, whereas in females the greatest number occurs in the widowed category.

Most people die in hospital: 1,674 died at Mater Dei, 150 at Gozo General Hospital, 123 at Boffa Hospital and 286 in other hospitals. Another 470 died at home.

34 die before reaching first birthday

There were 34 deaths of infants before they reached their first birthday, accounting for one per cent of total deaths, the report shows. Of these, 22 were boys and 12 were girls.

The most common causes of deaths in this age group were conditions originating in the perinatal (immediately before or after birth) period (14) and congenital anomalies (13).

Another 10 children died between the ages of one and 14, accounting for 0.3 per cent of the total. Seven of these were boys and three were girls. External factors and diseases of the nervous system were the most common causes of death in this age group.

Ninety-six people aged between 15 and 44 – 74 males and 22 females – died in 2008. External factors, especially among young men, were the most common cause.

There were 552 deaths in the 45 to 64 age group, representing 17 per cent of all deaths. The most common causes were, as expected, ischaemic heart diseases and malignancies of the lung, trachea, colorectal and breast – 110 and 106 respectively.

More than half the deaths – 52.6 per cent – were people in the 65-84 age group. Of these, 384 died of ischaemic heart disease, 164 of cerebrovascular disease, 104 of diabetes mellitus and 158 of lung or colorectal cancer.

Circulatory diseases are again the most common cause of death among people aged 85 and over. In all, there were 846 deaths (26.1 per cent), of which 179 were due to ischaemic heart diseases and 128 to cerebrovascular diseases.

Other conditions, such as chest infections, diabetes, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and falls, are also a significant cause of morbidity in this age group. Malignancies tend to be less significant.

One death per day related to smoking

Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for 21 per cent of the total. There were 366 male and 312 female deaths in 2008, the report says.

Another 321 deaths, or 10 per cent, were due to cerebrovascular diseases and in this area, women outnumber men, contrary to what happens in the ischaemic heart disease category.

Cancer was the cause of 855 deaths – 487 men and 368 women. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to malignancy – 17 per cent of all cancer deaths and 4.6 per cent of all deaths. This is followed by colorectal cancer (13 per cent), pancreatic (nine per cent), breast (eight per cent), stomach (five per cent) and prostate (four per cent).

Lung cancer is more predominant among men (26 per cent), followed by colorectal (12 per cent), pancreatic (eight per cent) and stomach and prostate (seven per cent each). Among women, breast cancer is the main cause of death (18 per cent), followed by colorectal (14 per cent), pancreatic and ovarian (nine per cent) and lung (six per cent).

There were 298 deaths due to respiratory conditions, or 9.2 per cent of the total. Deaths due to these conditions are more common in males, and are often related to cigarette smoking.

The report says that there were 372 deaths attributable to smoking – just over one per day. Of these, 260 were men.

Another 118 deaths were caused by diseases of the digestive system: 63 men and 55 women. Another 28 deaths were caused by diseases of the liver.

59 die from falls

There were 136 deaths, or 4.2 per cent of the total, due to external causes, the report says. Of these, 86 were men and 50 were women, and the age-standardised death rate was 27 per 100,000 population.

The most common cause of death due to external causes was accidental falls – a total of 59, of whom 30 were men. Five fatal accidents occurred in workplaces, while falls and associated hip fractures are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly.

Fourteen men and five women died in traffic accidents.

During 2008, there were 14 deaths by suicide, 12 of whom were men. Leaping from heights or hanging were the most common ways of committing suicide.

Another eight deaths – seven men and one woman – were the result of drug overdoses.

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