Ecuadorian Provinces with High Morbidity and Mortality Rates Due to Asthma among the Working-Age Population: An Ecological Study to Promote Respiratory Health
- PMID: 39063486
- PMCID: PMC11276727
- DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21070909
Ecuadorian Provinces with High Morbidity and Mortality Rates Due to Asthma among the Working-Age Population: An Ecological Study to Promote Respiratory Health
Abstract
Asthma is a significant public health concern. This study identified the provinces with the highest morbidity and mortality rates due to asthma among the working-age population (15-69 years) in the Republic of Ecuador. The secondary objective was to explain the possible differences attributable to occupational exposure. This nationwide ecological study was conducted in 24 provinces between 2016 and 2019. Government databases were used as sources of information. Age-standardized rates were calculated for codes J45 and J46. The hospitalization morbidity rate for asthma decreased from 6.51 to 5.76 cases per 100,000 working-age population, and the mortality rate has consistently been low and stable from 0.14 to 0.15 deaths per 100,000 working-age population. Geographic differences between the provinces were evident. The risk of hospitalization and death due to asthma was higher in the Pacific coast (Manabí with 7.26 and 0.38, Esmeraldas with 6.24 and 0.43, Los Ríos with 4.16 and 0.40, El Oro with 7.98 and 0.21, Guayas with 4.42 and 0.17 and the Andean region (Azuay with 6.33 and 0.45, Cotopaxi (5.84 and 0.48)). The high rates observed in provinces with greater agricultural and industrial development could be national heterogeneity's main determinants and act as occupational risk factors. The contribution of occupational hazards in each province should be examined in depth through ad hoc studies. The findings presented here provide valuable information that should prompt further detailed studies, which will assist in designing public policies aimed at promoting and safeguarding the respiratory health of the population, particularly that of workers. We believe that this study will inspire the creation of regional networks for the research and surveillance of occupational health.
Keywords: asthma; geographic differences; public health; respiratory diseases; working-age population.
Conflict of interest statement
All authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Comparative analysis of leukemia and risk estimation in working age population between provinces of Ecuador.Medwave. 2024 Jul 26;24(6):e2903. doi: 10.5867/medwave.2024.06.2903. Medwave. 2024. PMID: 39058981
-
[SENTIERI - Epidemiological Study of Residents in National Priority Contaminated Sites. Sixth Report].Epidemiol Prev. 2023 Jan-Apr;47(1-2 Suppl 1):1-286. doi: 10.19191/EP23.1-2-S1.003. Epidemiol Prev. 2023. PMID: 36825373 Italian.
-
Trends in hospital admissions and mortality rates for asthma in Ecuador: a joinpoint regression analysis of data from 2000 to 2018.BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021 Apr;8(1):e000773. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000773. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021. PMID: 33931385 Free PMC article.
-
Leptospirosis: Morbidity, mortality, and spatial distribution of hospitalized cases in Ecuador. A nationwide study 2000-2020.PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 May 12;16(5):e0010430. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010430. eCollection 2022 May. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022. PMID: 35551530 Free PMC article.
-
Trends in asthma hospital admissions and mortality in Kuwait, 2000-2014: a national retrospective observational study.BMJ Open. 2018 May 8;8(5):e021244. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021244. BMJ Open. 2018. PMID: 29739784 Free PMC article.
References
-
- World Health Organization Asthma. [(accessed on 5 June 2023)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma#:~:text=Asthma%2....
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical