Resumen

SEUC, Armando H et al. Mortality and lost potential years of life (LPYL) from premature deaths in Cuban women: 1990, 1995 and 2000. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2004, vol.30, n.4. ISSN 0864-3466.

This paper analyzes mortality and lost potential years of life (LPYL) from premature deaths in Cuban women for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000. The causes of death noted in the abridged list mostly used in Cuba and in other regions of the world and that have been regularly in use in the Statistical Annals of Health of our country were studied as well as other causes that are being used by the World Health Organization are included in the analysis. LPYL from premature deaths are estimated without time discount or age weighing. The following results should be particularly underlined: the new causes of death in both sexes (neuropsychiatric condition, digestive diseases and non-specified chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases) accounts for much mortality and/or more LPYLs from premature deaths than the traditional causes, which has been happening since 1990. For the first time, we could report in Cuba the first causes of LPYLs from premature deaths by sex in Cuba for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000, being neuropsychiatric conditions, digestive diseases, congenital anomalies and perinatal conditions the most outstanding. This paper calls the attention upon the importance of LPYL from premature deaths as data that should complete mortality information and as a valuable piece of evidence to identifying the main potential sources of rise of life expectancy in our country both for women and men.

Palabras clave : MORTALITY; LOST POTENTIAL YEARS OF LIFE,; PREMATURE DEATH; CAUSES OF DEATH.