Many deaths in Germany would apparently be avoidable

“According to a study, life expectancy in Germany is greatly reduced in several regions. Many deaths can be avoided through prevention and early detection.

According to scientists, numerous deaths in Germany could be avoided. 

According to a study, many German regions have a significantly lower life expectancy than German-speaking regions in Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Deaths that could have been avoided through better health behavior among the population and a more effective health system contribute to this to a considerable extent. 

The study was developed by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in Wiesbaden and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

Life expectancy in Saxony-Anhalt greatly reduced

The study presents calculations of "avoidable mortality" for more than 100 regions in German-speaking countries. All deaths were classified as avoidable which, according to the current state of medical knowledge, could have been avoided through prevention, early detection or optimal treatment.

In this respect, life expectancy is greatly reduced, especially in eastern Germany, especially in Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. However, some regions in western Germany that were characterized by economic structural change, such as the Ruhr area and Saarland, also had a similarly high avoidable mortality rate. In contrast, Switzerland and South Tyrol recorded the lowest number of avoidable deaths, followed by western Austria and southern Germany.

Avoidable mortality is falling in Switzerland and South Tyrol

According to the study, men in some regions of Switzerland currently have a life expectancy of around 82.4 years. In eastern Germany, on the other hand, it is 6.2 years lower at 76.2 years. For women, who statistically always have a longer life expectancy than men, the study indicates different life expectancy between 82 and 86.7 years depending on the region.

"Although the south of Germany with the metropolitan region of Munich and southern Baden-Württemberg is in a relatively good position compared to other German cities, the avoidable mortality rate in Switzerland and South Tyrol is noticeably lower," said researcher Michael Mühlichen from the BiB. The distance to Switzerland and South Tyrol has even grown in recent years."