And We Doctors, What do We Die of?

Soares, Gabriel Porto; Salim, Thais Rocha

International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 30/Jun/2022;35(4):498-9.

Editorial

And We Doctors, What do We Die of?

Gabriel Porto Soares , Thais Rocha Salim

DOI: 10.36660/ijcs.20220071

We hardly ask ourselves what we will die from. The certainty of this fact can even pass through our thoughts, but it always seems to us something far away and impossible to predict. We can know the causes of death of our fellow human beings to try to predict our death and perhaps use measures to postpone it, since it is impossible to avoid. Societies need to know their numbers, how many we are, how many are born, how many die, how we die, and how we live. These are questions that gain importance with reports of demographic and epidemiological surveys dating back to 400 BC in some ancient civilizations like Greece, Rome, India, and China. The first modern publication in mortality studies dates from 1662 in England, carried out by a London councilor, John Graunt, who published the work entitled “Natural and Political Observations upon the Bills of Mortality” (), using data of burials in London as information. Through this study, it can be known, for example, that one third of London children died before turning sixteen.^,

In the last century, humanity has gone through an epidemiological transition in terms of causes of death. Infectious diseases are no longer the leading cause of death and have given way to chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially circulatory system diseases (CAD). NCDs are the main cause of death worldwide, and they are responsible for premature deaths, loss of quality of life, and adverse economic and social impacts. NCDs are responsible for about 70% of global deaths, equivalent to more than 38 million deaths per year, significantly exceeding deaths from external causes and infectious diseases. About 45% of all NCD deaths worldwide, more than 17 million, are caused by CAD. A similar distribution is observed in Brazil, where 72% of deaths result from chronic NCDs, with 30% due to CAD and 16% to neoplasms.