TY - JOUR AU - Bravo Ocaña, Luis Eduardo AU - Collazos, Paola AU - Grillo Ardila, Elvia Karina AU - García, Luz Stella AU - Millán, Erquinovaldo AU - Mera, Patricia AU - Holguín, Jorge PY - 2020/05/26 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Mortality from respiratory infections and chronic non-communicable diseases before the COVID-19 pandemic in Cali, Colombia. JF - Colombia Medica JA - Colomb Med VL - 51 IS - 2 SE - Original Articles DO - 10.25100/cm.v51i2.4270 UR - https://colombiamedica.univalle.edu.co/index.php/comedica/article/view/4270 SP - e-4270 AB - <p><strong>Introduction</strong>: The COVID-19 disease pandemic is a health emergency. Older people and&nbsp;those with chronic noncommunicable diseases are more likely to develop serious illnesses, equire ventilatory support, and die from complications.</p><p><strong>Objective</strong>: To establish deaths from respiratory infections and some chronic non-communicable diseases that occurred in Cali, before the SARS-CoV-2 disease pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: During the 2003-2019 period, 207,261 deaths were registered according to the&nbsp;general mortality database of the Municipal Secretary of Health of Cali. Deaths were coded&nbsp;with the International Classification of Diseases and causes of death were grouped&nbsp;according to WHO guidelines. Rates were standardized by age and are expressed per&nbsp;100,000 people-year.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> A direct relationship was observed between aging and mortality from respiratory&nbsp;infections and chronic non-communicable diseases. Age-specific mortality rates were&nbsp;highest in those older than 80 years for all diseases evaluated. Seasonal variation was&nbsp;evident in respiratory diseases in the elderly.</p><p><strong>Comments</strong>: Estimates of mortality rates from respiratory infections and chronic non-communicable diseases in Cali provide the baseline that will serve as a comparison to&nbsp;estimate the excess mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health authorities and&nbsp;decision makers should be guided by reliable estimates of mortality and of the proportion of&nbsp;infected people who die from SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.</p> ER -