Preventable mortality in Mexico: bridging gaps in chronic disease and ageing care.

Mexico recorded 819,672 total deaths in 2024, with 37.21% of deaths in the general population attributed to ischaemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus.

• Total deaths in 2024: 819,672
• Combined IHD and diabetes mellitus accounted for 37.21% of deaths in the general population
• Data sourced from Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) mortality data
• These two conditions represent the dominant causes of preventable mortality in Mexico

Age-standardised mortality rates reveal persistently elevated cardiovascular mortality concentrated in specific northern and southeastern Mexican states.

• Northern high-risk states identified include Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango and Nuevo León
• Southeastern high-risk states identified include Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatán
• The burden is described as 'geographically clustered in specific high-risk regions'
• ASMRs were used to assess disparities across age groups, sex and geographical regions

Cardiovascular mortality burden in Mexico is highly concentrated among older adults.

• The burden is described as 'highly concentrated among older adults'
• Disparities were assessed across age groups, sex and geographical regions
• The paper identifies a need for a geriatric care framework as one of seven proposed interventions
• Patterns reflect structural gaps in prevention, early detection and access to adequate care

Mexico continues to experience elevated and regionally extreme cardiovascular mortality despite substantial global declines in IHD mortality over the past two decades.

• Global declines in IHD mortality have occurred over the past two decades
• Mexico has failed 'to translate established global evidence into national practice'
• The elevated mortality reflects 'structural gaps in prevention, early detection and access to adequate care rather than unavoidable demographic change'
• Regional extremes in cardiovascular mortality were identified within the country

Obesity, diabetes and hypertension form a pathophysiological triad that synergistically exacerbates cardiovascular disease in Mexico.

• The three conditions are described as acting through 'shared mechanisms and comorbidities'
• The interaction is described as 'synergistic' in exacerbating cardiovascular disease
• This triad is identified as a key driver of the preventable mortality burden
• The paper frames these as modifiable risk factors addressable through preventive strategies

The authors propose seven scalable evidence-based strategies to reduce cardiovascular mortality in Mexico.

• Strategies include: expanding access to health services in underserved regions; integrating preventive health programmes within primary care; developing structured physical activity initiatives; establishing a geriatric care framework; promoting community-based nutrition and wellness programmes; advancing gender-sensitive cardiovascular prevention; and implementing school-based health education programmes
• Strategies are described as 'scalable' and drawn from 'evidence-based interventions implemented in comparable health systems'
• The interventions are proposed to 'substantially reduce cardiovascular mortality, lower healthcare costs and improve long-term population health outcomes in Mexico'
• Gender-sensitive cardiovascular prevention is specifically identified as a gap requiring targeted intervention across adulthood and ageing