This analysis was not restricted by cause of death—people with RHD may have died of any cause. Cause of death is not captured on most registers.
In 2015–2019, there were 399 deaths reported among people with RHD in the registers (Table 3). Of these deaths:
- 177 deaths occurred in Northern Territory (44%)
- 267 deaths occurred among females (67%)—similar to overall rates of RHD
- 168 deaths occurred among people aged 65 and over (42%)
- the median age of death for males was 60 years and 61 for females.
Table 3: Deaths among Australians with a diagnosis of RHD on registers in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, by age group and Indigenous status, 2015–2019
|
Age group
|
Indigenous
|
Non-Indigenous
|
All Australians
|
|
0–14
|
12
|
0
|
12
|
|
15–44
|
83
|
4
|
87
|
|
45–64
|
118
|
28
|
146
|
|
65+
|
74
|
80
|
154
|
|
All ages
|
287
|
112
|
399
|
Source: AIHW analysis of the National Rheumatic Heart Disease Data Collection, as at 31 December 2019.
Deaths among Indigenous Australians with RHD
In 2015–2019, there were 287 deaths reported among Indigenous Australians recorded on the registers as having RHD (72% of all deaths).
Of these deaths:
- the highest number of deaths occurred in the Northern Territory (166 deaths, 58%)
- 83 deaths occurred among people aged 15–44 (29%)
- 118 deaths occurred among people aged 45–64 (41%)
- 74 deaths occurred among people aged 65 years and over (26%).
The median age of death was 52 years for Indigenous males and 53 years for Indigenous females. In comparison, the median age at death for non-Indigenous Australians with RHD was 72 years for males and 71 years for females. Indigenous Australians with RHD who died during 2015–2019 had lived with their diagnosis for a median of 10 years.