Content
About the statistics
Definitions
-
Name and topic
-
Name: Causes of death (terminated in Statistics Norway)
Topic: Health
-
Responsible division
-
Division for Health, care and social statistics
-
Definitions of the main concepts and variables
-
The data are coded according to the International Classification of Diseases. Since 1996, causes of death have been classified and coded according to the detailed list in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, ICD-10, Volume 1 (World Health Organization, Geneva 1992). Regulations and guidelines for mortality coding and selection of underlying cause of death are found using ICD-10 Volume 2 (World Health Organization, Geneva 1993). The rules and principles for mortality coding in ICD-9 are found as appendices in NOS C 490 Causes of Death 1995. For more information about the coding WHO Family of International Classifications .
The disease or external cause of injury that initiated the chain of fatal events leading directly to death shall be registered as the underlying cause of death. In addition, up to six causes (conditions that directly led to the death and contributing causes) can be coded from the year 1996. The underlying cause of death is used in the international cause of death statistics.
Underlying cause of death is defined as: 1. The disease or injury that initiated the chain of fatal events leading directly to death or 2. The external circumstances of the accident or violence that was the cause of the fatal injury
The condition listed on the end line of part I of the death certificate is usually the underlying cause of death. The ICD 10 rules and guidelines can, however, result in a different condition (disease or external cause of injury) being selected as the underlying cause of death. To distinguish between these two possibilities, ICD-10 has introduced the concept of originating antecedent cause for the condition listed on the completed line at the bottom of part I. The underlying cause of death is used in the international causes of death statistics.
Immediate cause of death is defined as the disease, injury or condition directly leading to death and which was caused by the underlying cause of death.
Complication is defined as the condition that is a direct consequence of the underlying cause of death (immediate and intermediate cause of death) and by contributing cause of death, reference is to the condition that may have contributed to the death but is not in a direct causal relation with the disease or condition that caused the death.
Age is the number of years at the time of death.
-
Standard classifications
-
Standard classifications are the Classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death, ICD-9, Norwegian edition, for the year 1995, and the Classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death, ICD-10, English edition, for the years 1996- 2005.
The cause of death statistics differ from ICD-10 (English edition) in the following cases: Fourth category for R99 (other poorly-defined and unspecified causes of death); R99.0 Cause of death cannot be established (physician or other expert has not been able to establish the cause of death) R99.8 Cause of death not specified (the form/document lacks information on the cause of death, e.g. document from abroad) R99.9 No information (the death is recorded in the National Population Register and not reported to the Cause of Death Registry).
Cases of hip fracture (fractura femoris) where the external circumstance is unknown or unspecified are coded with W19 (unspecified fall). From 2009 will such cases, according to ICD-10, be coded X59 (unspecified accident) as the underlying cause of death (ICD-10, Volume 3, 1994, page 600).
The publication NOS C 490 Causes of Death 1995 contains an overview of cases where the Norwegian causes of death statistics deviate from the English edition of ICD-9, as well as from guidelines for the selection of underlying causes. The Norwegian edition of ICD-9 was used in 1986-1995, while the Norwegian edition of ICD-8 was used in 1969-1985.