AIDS Deaths Up in County, Health Agency Reports : Data: Heart disease, as usual, led the list of killers in 1991, but a decrease in number of victims is attributed to greater public awareness of fitness.

The AIDS virus became the seventh leading cause of death in Orange County in 1991, rising steadily from 10th place in 1989, county health officials said Thursday after analyzing the county’s latest mortality data.

The growing number of deaths from HIV was “not unanticipated . . . because we were seeing an increased number of diagnosed AIDS cases a couple years before,” said Penny Weismuller, the Orange County Health Care Agency’s manager for disease control.

In 1991, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the human immunodeficiency virus infection accounted for 267 deaths, or 10.8 deaths per 100,000 people--the same number of deaths as from traffic accidents that year. Twelve of the AIDS victims were women.

(Traffic deaths that year were included in a general “accident” category, which was the sixth leading cause of deaths, claiming 582 lives.)

As usual, heart disease, cancer and stroke led the list of killers of Orange County residents in 1991. By far the biggest killer was heart disease, taking 4,591 lives. Those also were the leading causes of death nationwide.

Still, the fact that 39 fewer people died of heart disease that year than in 1990 reflects a national trend, which Rick Greenwood, a deputy director of public health for Orange County, attributed to public awareness about fitness, smoking and cholesterol.

Greenwood said he was hopeful that public awareness, too, would help reduce the AIDS statistics.

Observing that the virus goes through a long period of incubation between infection and the appearance of symptoms and ultimately death, Greenwood said, “I think what we are seeing is a reflection of the infection rate five and six years ago, before there was widespread testing for HIV, counseling and educational campaigns.

“What I am hoping is that our prevention efforts will reduce new infections, and this will be reflected in future years by AIDS not claiming as many lives.”

Greenwood added that in 1992 there were 461 new cases of AIDS reported in Orange County, compared to 473 new cases reported the previous year. But he said the slight drop is insignificant and that it is still too early to tell if public education programs are working.

Although national AIDS statistics for 1991 are not yet available, in 1990 the virus was the 10th leading cause of death. In Orange County that year, it was ninth.

The difference, Greenwood said, “demonstrates the impact AIDS has had on Orange County.” It also reflects the reason why the county has qualified for special federal funding under the Ryan White Care Act to combat AIDS.

Greenwood said county health officials use death statistics as a guide to determine where to concentrate their efforts. Noting that drowning for years has been the leading cause of injury deaths to children ages 1 through 4, he said the Health Care Agency is working with city building departments and other agencies to establish new guidelines for swimming pool construction.

Greenwood said as infectious diseases other than AIDS become less of a threat, the agency is shifting gears to concentrate more on eliminating such chronic diseases as heart disease and cancer.

Causes of Death

Heart disease was by far the biggest killer of county residents in 1991, accounting for about one-third of the toll. Here are the 10 local leading causes of death.

Rate per Cause Men Women Total 100,000 1. Heart disease 2,208 2,383 4,591 185.3 2. Cancer 1,775 1,809 3,584 144.9 3. Stroke 371 622 993 40.1 4. Pneumonia 339 409 748 30.2 and influenza 5. Respiratory diseases (e.g., emphysema) 314 361 675 27.2 6. Accidents (all kinds) 399 183 582 23.5 7. AIDS/HIV infection 255 12 267 10.8 8. Chronic liver 161 92 253 10.2 disease, cirrhosis 9. Atherosclerosis 92 150 242 9.8 10. Suicide 178 60 238 9.6 All other causes 1,101 1,095 2,196 88.6 Total 7,193 7,176 14,369 579.9

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency