Epidemiological transition in colombia: from infectious diseases to not transmissible ones

Introduction: In Colombia, the patterns of mortality and birth rate have changed. Theincrease of mortal cases by not transmissible diseases with persistence of infectiouscauses is a phenomenon defined epidemiological transition.Objective: to describe the process of epidemiological and demographical transition in Colombia and Bolívar′s Department, as of published data by the National AdministrativeDepartment of Statistics (DANE).Methods: descriptive observational study. There were used the tables of demographicalindicators, vital statistics and projections of population between 1985 and 2020 fromDANE, also from data of the National Survey of the Nutritional Situation in Colombia2010 related to obesity and overweight. Subsequently there were built populationpyramids of Colombia and Bolivar′s Department and graphics and tables of frequencyto compare the national and departmental indicators.Results: in the period of study, there was found a reduction of the crude death rate,crude birth rate and fecundity rate, being this one that had the highest increase, withan increase of the life expectancy at birth. The main causes of non-lethal mortalitywere: Myocardial ischemia, cerebrovascular disease and chronic lower respiratory tractdiseases. In external causes, the homicides and the suicide were emphasized. Themental diseases are an emergent problem, and there is an increase in the prevalenceof general obesity and in special in the population that is younger than five years, allthese phenomenons occur in a simultaneous form, with the increase in the morbidity ofemergent diseases as HIV and re-emergent diseases as TB, malaria and dengue.Conclusion: Colombia is in phase of decrease of pandemics and infectious diseaseswhile chronic diseases and diseases produced by men are increasing, situation thatbelongs to the belated period of the epidemiological-demographical transition. Rev.cienc.biomed. 2012;3(2):282-290RESUMEN:Introducción: en Colombia han variado los patrones de mortalidad y natalidad. Elaumento de los casos mortales por enfermedades no transmisibles con persistencia delas causas infecciosas es un fenómeno enmarcado en la transición epidemiológica.Objetivo: describir el proceso de transición demográfica y epidemiológica en Colombiay el departamento de Bolívar, a partir de los datos publicados por el DepartamentoAdministrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE).Metodología: estudio observacional descriptivo. Se utilizaron las tablas de losindicadores demográficos, estadísticas vitales y proyecciones de población entre 1985 y2020 del DANE, además de los datos de l