Nationwide mortality trends from 2001 to 2020 in Greece: health policy implications under the scope of aging societies

Abstract

Objective: This nationwide study aims to analyze mortality trends for all individual causes in Greece from 2001 to 2020, with a specific focus on 2020, a year influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Greece is the fastest-aging country in Europe, the study's findings can be generalized to other aging societies, guiding the reevaluation of global health policies.

Methods: Data on the population and the number of deaths were retrieved from the Hellenic Statistical Authority. We calculated age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) and cause-specific mortality rates by sex in three age groups (0-64, 65-79, and 80+ years) from 2001 to 2020. Proportional mortality rates for 2020 were determined. Statistical analysis used generalized linear models with Python Programming Language.

Results: From 2001 to 2020, the ASMR of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) decreased by 42.7% (p < 0.0001), with declines in most sub-causes, except for hypertensive diseases, which increased by 2.8-fold (p < 0.0001). In 2020, the proportional mortality rates of the three leading causes were 34.9% for CVD, 23.5% for neoplasms, and 9.6% for respiratory diseases (RD). In 2020, CVD were the leading cause of death among individuals aged 80+ years (39.3%), while neoplasms were the leading cause among those aged 0-79 years (37.7%). Among cardiovascular sub-causes, cerebrovascular diseases were predominant in the 80+ year age group (30.3%), while ischemic heart diseases were most prevalent among those aged 0-79 years (up to 60.0%).

Conclusions: The global phenomenon of population aging necessitates a reframing of health policies in our aging societies, focusing on diseases with either a high mortality burden, such as CVD, neoplasms, and RD, or those experiencing increasing trends, such as hypertensive diseases.

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Epidemiology; Greece; Health policies; Mortality trends; Neoplasms.