Mortality trend of heart diseases in China, 2013–2020

Background and purpose: Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in China. Understanding of the secular trend of different subcategories of heart disease is important for policy making. The purpose of this study is to analyze the mortality trend of heart diseases in China from 2013 to 2020. Methods: A population-based longitudinal analysis was conducted using the China National Mortality Surveillance System to examine heart disease mortality change during a period from 2013 to 2020. The causes of death were coded using the International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision. The number of deaths and mortality rate were calculated based on sex, subcategories of heart disease, urban versus rural setting, and across different geographic locations. Data from the sixth census in China in 2010 was used as the standard population, and the mortality rates were adjusted based on the under-reporting rate. Results: Ischemic heart disease (IHD), hypertensive heart disease (HHD), and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are the three leading causes of heart disease deaths during 2013–2020. There was a trend for increased age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of cardiac arrest, aortic aneurysm (AA), and nonrheumatic valvular heart diseases (NRVHDs) during the study period. In comparison to men, women had higher ASMR of RHD, and lower ASMR of IHD, HHD, cardiac arrest, AA, and NRVHDs. In comparison to rural areas, urban areas had lower ASMR of IHD, HHD, and RHD, and higher ASMR of cardiac arrest, AA, and NRVHDs. The spectrum of heart diseases differed significantly across age groups. In 2020, the percentages of IHD and HHD in the ≥65-year age group were higher than in other age groups. Significant differences in ASMR were noted across different geographic locations, with the highest in Xinjiang (198.14/100,000) and the lowest in Shanghai (62.19/100,000) in 2020. Conclusions: The mortality rate decreased for IHD, HHD, and RHD during the study period, but remained the leading causes of heart disease death in China. There was a trend for increasing mortality of cardiac arrest, AA, and NRVHDs, and significant difference across different geographic locations.