Abstract Introduction: Death is defined as the permanent loss of all signs of life at any time after birth (Irrevocable disappearance of all vital signs after birth). Unnatural deaths seem to be either suspicious or  unexpected. Deaths that occur suddenly and their causes need to be investigated, are termed unnatural deaths. According to the death certificate contents of Ministry of...

Most epidemiologic research using birth certificate records utilizes cross-sectional or case-control study designs. These records are typically made available to qualified researchers as computerized files of vital events for a state or the entire United States by year of occurrence, either for events occurring within the state or to residents of the state. This structure clearly lends itself t...

To determine whether placental abnormality (placental abruption or placental previa) during pregnancy predisposes an infant to a high risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the authors conducted a population-based case-control study using 1989-1991 California linked birth and death certificate data. They identified 2,107 SIDS cases, 96% of whom were diagnosed through autopsy. Ten controls...

Surveillance for influenza deaths has been used to gauge the severity of influenza seasons. Traditional surveillance, which relies on medical records review and laboratory testing, might not be sustainable during a pandemic. We examined whether electronic death certificates might provide a surveillance alternative. We compared information retrieved from electronic death certificates that listed...

This paper expands on previous research that has documented relatively high levels of inconsistency in age information for elderly African Americans. Drawing on a sample of death certificates for Maryland-born African Americans purportedly aged 65-79 at death in 1985, the validity of age data in both death certificates and social security records is examined by linkage to a birth record. The co...

This study approaches multiple causes of death to analyze the associations between causes of death from non-communicable diseases, age, and gender in 3,106 death certificates issued in 1998, comprising individuals who were 20 years old or over and resided in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The multiple cause of death approach, by considering all the diagnoses mentioned in the death ...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease is the major contributor to excess morbidity and mortality in winter. With the rise in temperatures through global warming, and the use of central heating and air conditioning, this seasonal variation may be declining. AIM To study possible changes in seasonal variation in case-fatality rates of myocardial infarction (MI), in men and women, over a 20-year per...

Savitz et al. (1) recently published results of an analysis of cardiovascular disease mortality among electric utility workers in which they investigated mortality risk in relation to magnetic field exposure. They subclassified deaths from cardiovascular disease according to the death certificate codes. In particular, they considered arrhythmia-related deaths (International Classification of Di...

Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States (1), accounting for approximately 20% of infant deaths. The rate of infant mortality attributable to birth defects (IMBD) in the United States in 2014 was 11.9 per 10,000 live births (1). Rates of IMBD differ by race/ethnicity (2), age group at death (2), and gestational age at birth (3). Insurance type is associated wit...

OBJECTIVE A growing body of evidence suggests that the nation's vital statistics system undercounts unintentional firearm deaths that are not self inflicted. This issue was examined by comparing how unintentional firearm injuries identified in police Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data were coded in the National Vital Statistics System. METHODS National Vital Statistics System data are b...