OBJECTIVE: To identify and compare the main causes of morbi-mortality, between men and women aged 60 years or more, residents in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, 2007. METHODS: It is a descriptive study, using secondary data from the Mortality Information System (SIM/SUS), Hospital Internment System (SIH/SUS) and demographic data according to IBGE. RESULTS: We identified ischemic heart diseases, followed by cerebrovascular and lung cancer as the highest coefficients of mortality among the elderly. Comparing the main causes of mortality and sex, men presented greater risks of lung cancer, septicemia and cirrhosis and chronic liver disease (ratios of 2,9; 2,4; 2,4, respectively). Among the most prevalent morbidity causes there are the circulatory diseases, cancer and respiratory diseases. Comparing the morbidity causes with sex, the circulatory diseases, followed by cancer and urinary disases presented the highest ratios among women (ratios of 0,93; 0,90; 0,89, respectively) although with little difference. CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and lung cancer were the main death causes among the elderly, but when compared to sex, it was observed that lung cancer, septicemia and cirrhosis and chronic liver disease were responsible for most male deaths. The circulatory diseases, followed by cancer and respiratory diseases were the most common causes of morbidity in the elderly, mainly among women, except for respiratory diseases, replaced by urinary diseases.
Aged; Indicators of Morbidity and Mortality; Case-Control Studies; Mortality; Morbidity; Florianópolis city