Tendencia temporal y distribución espacial de la mortalidad por enfermedades tropicales desatendidas en Argentina entre 1991 y 2016

OBJECTIVE. Determine the mortality from neglected tropical diseases (NTD) in Argentina from 1991 to 2016, their overall temporal trend and the trend for the most frequent causes by age and sex. METHODS. Argentina’s crude age-specific and age-adjusted mortality from NTDs were calculated for the period 1991-2016. The temporal trend was analyzed using joinpoint regression models. RESULTS. Mortality from NTDs is a phenomenon observed primarily in people over 50 and men. The trend in the age-adjusted NTD death rates shows a statistically significant decline between 1991 and 2016, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) for both sexes of -3.98 (CI 95%: -4.69; -3.25). In terms of the selected diseases, a steady decline in the rates for echinococcus is observed in the period 1991-2016, while two periods can be identified for Chagas, one in which the decline is significant (1991-2008) and another in which it is not (2008-2016). With regard to leprosy, a period with a sharp and significant increase is observed (1991-1998), followed by another period (1998-2016) of significant moderate decline. With the exception of echinococcus, the selected diseases are found basically in northwestern and northeastern Argentina. CONCLUSIONS. The downward trend in mortality from NTDs is significant for both sexes. It is clear that despite the decline in recent years, mortality from NTDs is an important public health problem.