The Epidemiology of Natural Deaths in Guyana: Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and the Ageing Population
International Journal of Development Research
The Epidemiology of Natural Deaths in Guyana: Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and the Ageing Population
Received 10th January, 2025; Received in revised form 19th February, 2025; Accepted 16th March, 2025; Published online 30th April, 2025
Copyright©2025, Jamain Hatton et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Objective: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed autopsy records (2018–2023) from Guyana’s sole referral hospital to identify leading causes of natural deaths, with emphasis on diabetes and elderly populations. Methods: Data from 10,975 autopsies were analyzed using SPSS v23. Natural deaths (n=6,694) were categorized by etiology, with subgroup analyses for diabetics (n=1,798) and elders ≥60 years (n=2,180). Results: Cardiovascular diseases accounted for 51.2% of natural deaths, followed by respiratory infections (20.2%) and cerebrovascular events (13.5%). Among diabetics, 61.5% died from cardiovascular causes, exceeding global averages. Elders exhibited similar trends, with 51.8% cardiovascular-related mortality. Conclusion: The disproportionate burden of preventable cardiovascular deaths in Guyana underscores urgent needs for targeted primary prevention and interdisciplinary diabetes care, particularly in low-resource settings.
