[Mortality in Sardinia: table of survival and potential years of life lost].

: Mortality rates have often been used to measure levels of health in a population. The "PYLL indicator" and the "life expectancy with zero mortality for one cause" give high weights to early deaths. In this paper we use these tools to evaluate the impact of five different causes of death (cardiov. dis., neoplasms, respirat. dis., accidents, digestive s. dis.). The rate of PYLL per 1000 population is given by [formula: see text] where Di delta = number of deaths between ages i and i+1; P = number of persons between ages i and i+1; w = age limit. The probability of death in the interval i - i + 1 is qi = ni Di/Pi/1 + 0.5 . ni Di/Pi where ni = number of years in the interval; Pi = population; Di . delta = number dying The probability of survival is pi = 1 - qi. The probability of death if the risk delta is eliminated is qi . delta = 1 - pi (Di delta-Di)/Di The probability of survival until age i is poi = II pi and, if the risk delta is eliminated, poi . delta = II pi . delta. The expectation of life at birth is eo = 0.5 . ni + poi . 0.5 (ni - 1 + ni) + po omega (0.5 . n omega-1 + P omega/D omega) and, if the risk is eliminated, eo . delta = 0.5 . n i + poi . delta . 0.5 (ni - 1 + ni) + po omega . delta (0.5 . n omega - 1 + P omega/(D omega - D omega . delta) Life expectancy gives high weights to early deaths, but the weights are less noticeable than when we use the PYLL indicator. In this paper we calculate the life expectancy with zero mortality for one cause and PYLL before ages 65, 75 and 85. When mortality rates (or number of deaths) are used to study mortality, cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms and respiratory s. disease are the three leading categories. When the probability of survival is concerned, respiratory diseases play the most important role until age 5, accidents until age 60, neoplasms until age 65, cardiovascular diseases in the elderly population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)