Mortality in the national medical body

Abstract

Justification: Medical profesionals are predisposed subject to early appearence of morbi-mortality caused by various diseases as a result of their work. This fact must be verified in our country.
Objetive: Investigation of mortality in Costa Rica in the last eleven years by means of a descriptive, transverse study. Methods: This is a revison of characteristics of the laboral activity, sex, age, residency, country of studies and speciality of living physicians, and also the death causes, age at time of death and the cause of death of physicians thar died from January 1982 to august 1992, acording to registries from the Costa Rica's colledge of physicians and surgeons, civil registry and three health Institutions.
The study found that in Costa Rica in 1991, there were 3894 doctors, 43.6% of whom were specialists, in a 371 proportion of men to women, 58.9% studied and recieved their degres in Costa Rica, the majority of which were under 40 years of age. 66.2% live in San Jose and 80% work for the Costarican Social Security System.
During the study, 119 doctors died, 95% of whom were men, 56.4% were specialists, 40% between the ages of 60 and 79.
The main cause of death was cardiovascular diseases (39.2%), leing coronary antery disease the most important within active physiciam (54.5%).
The second cause of death was cancer with 20.5% - 10% of suicides were found and among infections causes, AIDS was present with 3 cases
Conclusion: It is necessary to have adequate registers to do mortality statistical studies of the physicians.
Since 1988 an increasing mortality was observed in the group under 60 years. Ten percent of the deaths were due to suicides, which should call the attention also about the mental health of the physicians The mayority of deaths were due to cardiovascular disease among the practicing physicians which show to need to develop strategies to control risk factors and stimulate healthy living habits.