Age trajectories of mortality from all diseases in the six most populated countries of the South America during the last decades

Abstract

Age trajectories of total mortality represent an irreplaceable source of information about aging. In principle, age affects mortality from all diseases differently than it affects mortality from external causes. External causes (accidents) are excluded here from all causes, and the resultant category "all-diseases" is tested as a helpful tool to better understand the relationship between mortality and age. Age trajectories of all-diseases mortality are studied in the six most populated countries of the South America during 1996-2010. The numbers of deaths for specific causes of death are extracted from the database of WHO, where the ICD-10 revision is used. The all-diseases mortality shows a strong minimum, which is hidden in total mortality. Two simple deterministic models fit the age trajectories of all-diseases mortality. The inverse proportion between mortality and age fits the mortality decreases up to minimum value in all six countries. All previous models describing mortality decline after birth are discussed. Theoretical relationships are derived between the parameter in the first model and standard mortality indicators: Infant mortality, Neonatal mortality, and Postneonatal mortality. The Gompertz model extended with a small positive quadratic element fit the age trajectories of all-diseases mortality after the age of 10 years.