Savina A.A., Zemlyanova E.V. Preventable Mortality from Digestive Diseases in Moscow: Structure, Dynamics and Potential Reduction. City Healthсare. 2025;6(4-2):240-253. https: ...

Abstract

Over the last three decades, we observe a marked increase in deaths from digestive diseases compared to other classes of causes of death in Russia. For 30 years, regional variation in mortality from digestive diseases has also been rising. Mortality from digestive diseases in Moscow substantially differs from otherRussian regions. The gap in mortality rates from digestive diseases between Moscow and other regions has increased annually towards Moscow. Purpose. To evaluate the structure and dynamics of mortality from digestive diseases and the contribution of preventable causes of death in this class of diseases amongMoscow citizens. Material and methods. The official statistics from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Rosstat) were used on the basis of statistical form C51, “Distribution of deaths by sex, age, and causes of death.” Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated by the direct method.Results. The mortality rate from digestive diseases is twice lower in Moscow than in Russia as a whole, while 30 years ago the standardized mortality ratio in Moscow exceeded the Russian average value by 20%. Preventable causes mostly contributed to mortality from digestive diseases: fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver (K74) – 27%; alcoholic liver disease (alcoholic cirrhosis, hepatitis, and fibrosis) (K70) – 18%; gastric ulcer (K25) – 4%; duodenal ulcer (K26) – 4%. Conclusion. When developing preventive programs, special attention should be paid to primary prevention along with improvement of gastroenterology services adapted to age-sex characteristics and adjusted to higher risks in the working-age population.