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Vascular Diseases of the Nervous System:
The number of deaths in men from this group of diseases has
fallen somewhat from 45 to 36, while the number of deaths in women
rose from 64 to 69. The main increase was in women between the ages of
65 and 75.
Coronary Disease:
Here again there is an increase in the deaths in women.
Possibly cigarette smoking is playing a part here, possibly women are
eating more. The increase in deaths was both in the 45 to 55 group of
women, and in the 65 to 75 group for men. The ratio for men to women
dying from coronary disease is now in Edmonton 4 to 3, compared with 2 to
1 in previous years.
Hypertension with Heart Disease:
A slight non-significant rise in deaths from 15 to 17. Once
again however, there is a fall in deaths in men and a rise in deaths of
women.
Other Heart Disease:
This is of course, an omnibus classification, and analysis is
difficult. For the record deaths were 152 in 1961, 151 in 1962, 117 in
1963. Many of the form of heart disease classified under this heading have
an infectious origin and there has been a marked reduction in infections
in the past 20 years in Edmonton. This must have undoubtedly contributed
to the reduction in heart disease.
Other Circulatory Disease:
The deaths from this cause have remained at about the usual
level with a total of 52 deaths as against 49 in 1962 and 45 in 1961. The
increase is again in female deaths.
Influenza:
There were four more deaths from influenza in women in 1963, but
influenza does not rank high as a cause of death. It can, however, be a
serious contributory factor, and many of the deaths from pneumonia were
from influenzal pneumonia.
Pneumonia:
The deaths from pneumonia were almost doubled. There were only
52 deaths from pneumonia in 1962. The bitter weather of the first quarter
of the year undoubtedly played a part in reducing resistance to this disease
particularly in the over 70's.
Bronchitis:
There was an increase in the bronchitis death rate, though it
was not as marked as the increase in the pneumonia rate. Actually all the
deaths were in the age group 55 and over.