Death certificate data as an indication of the presence of certain common diseases at death

Abstract

An appraisal was made of the value of death certificate data as an indication of the presence of certain common diseases at death, irrespective of whether or not these diseases had contributed to death. This was done by comparing the certificate diagnoses and autopsy findings in a series of 476 autopsies performed at the Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem. Both the underlying and the contributory causes of death stated on the certificates were taken into account. The death certificate data had marked limitations as an indication of the presence of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary embolism or infarction rheumatic heart disease, peptic ulcer and cirrhosis of the liver. They gave a fairly accurate indication of the presence of malignant neoplasms, but not of the specific sites or categories of neoplasms. In some instances, the relationship between certificate and autopsy data varied with age, ethnic group and the presence of associated diseases. As a result of such variation, certificate-based statistics on mortality caused by arteriosclerotic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in Israel may not provide an accurate basis for ethnic comparisons of the prevalence of these conditions at death.