Circulatory system diseases are the leading cause of deaths in Turkey, with 165,323 people dying from the illness in 2017, according to statistics released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat)Thursday.
Circulatory system diseases accounted for 39.7 percent of the total number of deaths in Turkey in 2017, with the 75-84 age group having the highest prevalence.
At 39.7 percent ischemic heart diseases, better known as narrowing of the arteries, was the main cause of death among patients with circulatory diseases, closely followed by cerebrovascular diseases at 22.9 percent.
TurkStat does not release an analysis on the causes of the rise or drop in figures but cardiovascular disease is commonly linked to unhealthy nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, two main concerns for the authorities in an aging Turkey.
Experts say a decline in physical activity coupled with diabetes and bad nutrition habits are to blame for the rise in the diseases. The rise is also linked to the trend of an aging population in the country, which once boasted being one of the youngest among European countries.
Tumors the second most deadly
Benign and malign tumors, or in other words neoplasms, were the second most common cause of death at 19.6 percent, while respiratory diseases came in third at 12 percent. The other causes in descending order were neurological and sensory diseases with 4.9 percent, nutritional diseases, endocrine and metabolic disorders with 4.8 percent and external injuries with 4.5 percent.
The statistics show that the top three diseases killing the nation did not change compared to 2016.
Worst kind of tumors
Neoplasms claimed 79,889 lives in 2017 and the majority of cancer-related deaths were from malignant neoplasms of the larynx. Out of those, 31 percent of the patients died due to tumors located in the trachea, bronchus, or lungs. Following was tumors in the stomach, lymphoid and hematopoietic tumors, colonic, and pancreatic tumors with 8.4, 8, 7.6 and 6.2 percent respectively.
The provinces that had the highest mortality rate due to circulatory system diseases were also included in the report. The top five were Denizli with 49.6 percent, Aydın with 48.9, Balıkesir with 47.8, Çanakkale with 47.2, Afyonkarahisar with 46.8 percent. Cardiovascular diseases are also more prevalent in western Turkey, according to TurkStat.
The most deaths from benign and malign tumors occurred in the provinces of Kırklareli, Rize and Kocaeli with 23.3 percent followed closely by Tekirdağ with 23.2 and Istanbul with 23 percent.
The Health Ministry seeks to combat the phenomenon, encouraging the public to avoid unhealthy snacks and turn to healthier foods as well as routine exercise. The ministry organizes mass walks and promotes the use of bicycles to encourage people to do more physical activity.Health authorities say migration from rural areas to urban centers has changed people's habits, with nutrition and manual labor being replaced with fast food and office work, making it difficult for people to stay fit given the consumption culture, food with high fat content, a lack of regular exercise and dealing with the stress of daily life in cities.