[Changes in gallbladder cancer mortality and hospital discharges due to preventive cholecystectomy in Chile].

BACKGROUND

Gallbladder cancer is a relevant public health problem in Chile.

AIM: To analyze the mortality trend due to gallbladder cancer and hospital discharges due to biliary disease between 2002 and 2014. To analyze the effect on these parameters of the new health system called explicit guaranties in health whose acronym in Spanish is GES.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Mortality and hospital discharge databases available at the website of the Ministry of Health were analyzed. Changes in crude and adjusted rates were evaluated, analyzing data by geographical regions, sex and age. The standardization was carried out using the direct method and using as reference the Chilean population in 2002. The trends were evaluated through the Poisson regression method.

RESULTS

There is a 4.5% trend towards a decreasing mortality at a national level, as compared with the figures before GES came into force. Mortality among people aged 35 to 49 decreased by 4% before GES, and by 8% after GES. The trend of hospital discharges varied from -1% before GES, to a 2% increase after GES. Discharges among people aged 35-49 years increased from 0.1% to 2.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

The discharge rate increase after GES, does not yet show a break in the reduction of mortality at the national level, although it does benefit the group of 35 to 49 years.