Historical trends in Alberta were then compared with Can- ada as a whole for both sexL·s ovn 50 years or age. Although. Alberta had a much lower mortality from ...
ORIGINAL ARTI CLE
Trends in mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Alberta: Back to the future? TEE L G UIDOTTI MD MPH FRCPC CCBOM
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta TL GUIDO'ITI. T rends in mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Alberta : Back to the future '? Can Respir .J 1995;2(2) :97-I03.
Tendances dans la mortalite causee par la maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique en Alberta : Un retour dans le futur '?
Trends in mo rtal ity l'rnm chronic obstructive pulmo nary disea se ( COPD) in Albe rta over 60 years . from 1927 to 1987, I'm ages 15 a nd above or both se xes, were examined. There was a stri k ing decline in mortality among o lde r ad ults in the 1930s and !l)40s . a nadir that lasted almost IO ye ars in the 1950s, and a st riking increase the reafte r. By 1970. most age gro ups had re turned to leve ls o f the 1930s . Th is ove rall trend was observed in both the yo unger age groups (aged 15 to 50) and older adults, althoug h mo rtalit y from COPD in the form e r disproportio nate ly reflected asth rnarelated deaths. Subseq ue ntly, mo rtality cli m bed still h igher in older age g roups, but not in the youn ger age groups . The susta ined ri se in mortality in o lder age g roups a fte r tlw Second World Wa r is presumabl y rel ated to smoki ng habits. Hist orical trends in A lbe rta were then compared wi th C anada as a who le for bo th sexL·s o vn 50 years o r age. Altho ug h Albe rta had a much lower mortalit y from COPD than Canada as a w hole. thi s diffe re nce disappe ared by 1980. There is no ohv inu s expl ana tio n that wo uld expla in all or the obse rved I ren ds , but the y appear mo re li ke ly to be a conse quence or soci a l and en vironmenta l n mdit io ns. inc luding changes in hea lth-re lated hchaviour. than o f majo r ch:mges in medi cal manage me nt a t the time .
RESUME : I.cs tcndanccs cl ans Ju mortali tc causce par la rnaladiL·
Key
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