Ulcerative Colitis Mortality Rate Trends the United States: Two-Decade Analysis Based on US Death Certificates

Introduction: Ulcerative Colitis (UC), a chronic condition causing inflammation in the bowel, considerably impacts the life quality and mortality of those suffering from it. This study thoroughly analyzes death rates related to UC across the United States over twenty years. By leveraging a comprehensive dataset derived from American death certificates, the research offers a vital understanding of the disease's frequency, essential differences across demographic groups, and temporal patterns. Methods: This investigation utilized the CDC WONDER database to analyze mortality rate trends from 1999 to 2021, with a special emphasis on deaths due to Ulcerative Colitis. The study specifically focused on scrutinizing all recorded fatalities linked to UC in the United States within this period. R 4.2.2 software was the primary tool for conducting the analytical processes and creating data visualizations. All graphical illustrations were generated using the ggplot2 package within this software. Results: The overall mortality rate per 100,000 people slightly increased from 0.11 in 1999 to 0.13 in 2021. The data, categorized based on gender, revealed a slightly higher mortality rate in females than males throughout the study period. By 2021, the female mortality rate was 0.15 compared to the male rate of 0.11. White individuals consistently showed a higher mortality rate, reaching a peak of 0.16 in 2021. The mortality rate for Black or African American individuals was relatively lower, with a slight rise to 0.07 in 2021. The age-specific data revealed a trend of increasing mortality rate with increasing age. There were very few data points for the Asian or Pacific Islander population and the 25-34 age group; hence, no definitive trends could be deduced. The data categorized based on Hispanic origin showed that the mortality rate was typically lower in the Hispanic or Latino group compared to the Non-Hispanic or Latino group, with 2021 rates at 0.05 and 0.15, respectively (Table 1). Conclusion: To sum up, the research highlights an overall increase in the death rates from Ulcerative Colitis in the United States over the last twenty years, with noticeable differences found among various groups based on sex, race, and age. This study will enhance our comprehension of the effects of Ulcerative Colitis and provide valuable insights for distributing resources, creating policies, and implementing targeted actions in the field of public health. Table 1. - Mortality rate (1999-2020); Trending the Ulcerative Colitis Mortality rate in U.S. (from 1999-2021) by Age, Race, Gender Mortality Rate per 100,000 Variables 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Total number of deaths 298 263 298 286 285 310 305 312 286 360 384 305 319 330 326 331 349 358 364 343 423 387 440 Total Population 279M 281M 285M 288M 290M 293M 296M 298M 301M 304M 307M 309M 312M 314M 316M 319M 321M 323M 326M 327M 328M 329M 332M Mortality rate Overall 0.11 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.12 0.13 0.10 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.10 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.10 0.13 0.12 0.13 Gender Male 0.10 0.08 0.09 0.08 0.09 0.10 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.12 0.10 0.11 Female 0.12 0.11 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.11 0.12 0.12 0.10 0.14 0.14 0.10 0.11 0.11 0.10 0.11 0.11 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.14 0.14 0.15 Race White 0.12 0.11 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.11 0.14 0.14 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.13 0.13 0.13 0.12 0.15 0.14 0.16 Black or African American 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.08 0.05 0.07 Asian or Pacific Islander - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.06 - - - - Age data 25-34 years - - - - 0.03 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 35-44 years - - - 0.02 - - - - - 0.03 - - 0.03 - 0.03 0.03 0.03 - 0.03 - 0.02 - 0.03 45-54 years 0.04 - 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.06 55-64 years 0.12 0.07 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.11 0.09 0.11 0.10 0.12 0.14 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.09 0.09 0.12 0.10 0.12 0.10 0.13 0.11 0.11 65-74 years 0.29 0.35 0.34 0.30 0.26 0.30 0.27 0.39 0.25 0.32 0.30 0.24 0.20 0.23 0.28 0.24 0.25 0.27 0.22 0.24 0.33 0.31 0.31 75-84 years 0.88 0.78 0.79 0.88 0.75 0.82 0.84 0.68 0.66 0.83 1.03 0.80 0.83 0.83 0.71 0.77 0.68 0.73 0.78 0.64 0.77 0.61 0.81 85+ years 1.83 1.49 1.79 1.35 1.54 1.67 1.68 1.69 1.69 1.94 1.86 1.29 1.62 1.60 1.39 1.38 1.35 1.52 1.36 1.56 1.53 1.59 1.87 Hispanic origin Hispanic or Latino 0.03 - - - 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.06 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.02 0.03 - 0.05 Not Hispanic or Latino 0.12 0.10 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.11 0.13 0.14 0.11 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.13 0.13 0.13 0.12 0.15 0.14 0.15