EVOLUTION OF MORTALITY FROM SYSTEMIC ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN BRAZIL: TEMPORAL TRENDS, CHANGES IN DIAGNOSTIC PROFILE, AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND REGIONAL INEQUALITIES, 2010–2024

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the evolution of mortality from systemic arterial hypertension in Brazil according to temporal trends, diagnostic profile, sociodemographic characteristics, and regional distribution from 2010 to 2024. Methods: This was an ecological time-series study using data from the Mortality Information System (SIM). Deaths whose underlying cause was classified in categories I10 to I15 of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), corresponding to hypertensive diseases, were included. Records with unknown sex were proportionally redistributed. Data were grouped into three five-year periods and analyzed by diagnostic category, sex, age group, race/skin color, education, marital status, place of death, and macro-region, using frequencies and percentage variation. Results: A total of 816,407 deaths from hypertensive diseases were recorded, with a 43.83% increase between the first and last five-year periods. Essential hypertension (I10) remained the leading cause, increasing from 49.87% to 56.41%. Hypertensive heart disease (I11) decreased proportionally from 37.75% to 31.83%. Deaths predominated among women, people aged 60 years or older, individuals with low education, and widowed persons. Increases were observed among Black and Brown populations, along with fewer missing records, growth in home deaths, and increases in all macro-regions, especially the South. Conclusion: Mortality from hypertensive diseases increased markedly, reflecting population aging, diagnostic changes, and sociodemographic and regional inequalities.