Circulatory diseases and cancers, two leading causes of death among Portuguese – Xinhua

LISBON, April 7 (Xinhua) – Circulatory diseases and tumors are the ones that most affect the Portuguese and the leading causes of death in Portugal, according to official figures released Sunday by the Portuguese Ministry of Health and the Institute National Statistical Office.

Circulatory diseases account for nearly 30% of total mortality in Portugal, while malignant tumors account for 25%, official figures revealed.

Sunday marks the 71st anniversary of World Health Day under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization, whose theme for this year is "Universal health coverage: all, everywhere".

However, circulatory diseases have a downward trend in mortality in Portugal, while cancers have "a very significant increase in the Portuguese population".

Circulatory diseases claimed the lives of about 32,300 people in 2017 in Portugal, a 1.3% year-on-year decrease, while malignant tumors made more than 27,500 deaths in 2017, becoming the second most common cause of death. 0.5% increase over the previous year.

Hypertension, which affects more than a third of the population aged 25 to 74, is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to official figures.

Obesity also appears as one of the most important risk factors for diseases in Portugal, revealed the official figures. About 28.7% of Portuguese adults are obese and more than 30% of children are overweight.

In terms of overall health indicators, the average life expectancy in Portugal reached 80.8 years between 2015 and 2018, ie 77.7 years for men and 83.4 years for women.

The role of vaccination contributed to the increase in life expectancy and the reduction of mortality, according to the figures. About 97% of Portuguese children are vaccinated between the first and second year of life.