Gurkan IMRE
Medical Records - 2026;8(1):1-5
Aim: This study aims to determine whether there is a significant correlation between altitude and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates using publicly available data from 81 provinces in Türkiye. Material and Method: The data in this study were obtained from publicly available provincial data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The data were analyzed using Spearman correlation and linear regression via SPSS 25.0. The significance threshold was set at p < 0.05. Results: A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between altitude and cardiovascular mortality rates (r = -0.220, p = 0.048). Regression analysis, however, indicated that altitude alone explained only 1.9% of the variance in CVD death rates (Adj. R² = 0.019, p = 0.224). Conclusion: While there is a weak but statistically significant inverse relationship between altitude and cardiovascular mortality rates in Türkiye, altitude alone is not a strong predictor. Further multifactorial studies are needed to elucidate additional environmental and socioeconomic contributors.
