Mortality from aortic aneurysms in Australia, 1968 to 1997

Objectives : Describe trends in mortality for aortic aneurysms in Australia for the period 1968 to 1997. Design : Descriptive study of time trends in mortality. Main outcome measure : Age-sex-standardised mortality rates with statistical analysis of trends using negative-binomial regression. Results : While overall mortality rates for aortic aneurysms remained relatively constant for the period 1968 to 1992 in Australia, there has been a small but significant reduction in the rate from then until the end of the series in 1997. When different types of aneurysms are considered, there have been increases in the rates associated with abdominal aortic aneurysms and thoracic aortic aneurysms, while those for dissecting aortic aneurysms have declined. Most significantly, mortality rates for unspecified aortic aneurysms have declined. Conclusion : Aortic aneurysm mortality has declined in Australia in recent years. The reasons for this are unclear. While there have been increases associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm mortality, this is likely to be a result of more precise coding of death rather than any real increase in mortality.