Detailed Mortality Statistics - North Carolina Residents
The North Carolina Center for Health Statistics (SCHS) produces Detailed Mortality Statistics (DMS) to help the state and counties improve the analysis of the diseases and injuries leading to death in North Carolina. This report contains tables showing deaths of residents classified by cause, age, race, and sex. State and county data are prepared in two separate formats --
- state totals published annually on paper and distributed through traditional means
- county-specific totals published on microfiche and sent directly to respective county health departments
Select from the following links to access the DMS form you wish to see.
NOTE:
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State Numbers -
1996
1995
County-Specific Numbers -
1996
1995
This report supplements two annual publications: North Carolina Vital Statistics, Volumes 1 and 2. Volume 2 provides state, region, and county 1-year and 5-year counts and rates for all deaths, infant deaths and 25 selected causes of deaths.
In the present report, deaths are allocated to the place of residence of the deceased, not where death occurred. The counts of deaths for each cause are shown for race, sex and age. Race categories are white and nonwhite; nonwhite is predominantly black (90 percent) in North Carolina. 1
Four age categories are shown for infant deaths: less than one day; less than one week; less than 28 days; and less than one year of age. These age categories are cumulative--a death occurring during the first day of life is counted again in the three subsequent age categories. For deaths occurring at one year of age or older, counts are grouped into 5- or 10-year age intervals (age in completed years of life).
The cause of death is the underlying cause classified in the Ninth Revision International Classification of Diseases (9th ICD). Counts of deaths are displayed for the detailed list of causes. Only 60 characters of the name of each cause category are printed. If there were no deaths in a particular category, the name is not printed. Complete descriptions of the cause categories are provided in the WHO International Classification of Diseases manual. 2
In the tables of this report, the cause of death categories range from the general to the specific. The 4-digit category is the most specific classification. A 3-digit category is the sum of 4-digit categories having the same first three digits. There are 900 possible 3-digit categories. There are 109 possible groups. The classification is arranged in 17 major sections. A complete listing of the sections, groups and 3-digit causes is available upon request.3
The following example illustrates the four levels of the cause of death order as arranged in this report. Note that the order is the reverse of that provided in 1978 and earlier reports.
| Level | ICD Code | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Section | 390-459 | Diseases of the Circulatory System |
| Group | 415-417 | Diseases of the Pulmonary Circulation |
| 3-Digits | 415 | Acute Pulmonary Heart Disease |
| 4-Digits | 4150 | Acute Cor Pulmonale |
| 4151 | Pulmonary Embolism |
There have been several revisions of the ICD. Therefore, in comparing cause in this report to causes of death prior to 1979, the user should be aware of comparability rations published by the National Center for Health Statistics.4
Since 1987, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been reported under the ICD-9 code 042. AIDS-related conditions are shown under the codes 043 and 044. During 1984-1986, AIDS deaths were reported as deficiency of cell-mediated immunity (code 279.1), which may have included conditions other than AIDS. Therefore, strict comparison with prior years is not possible.
REFERENCES
- N.C. State Data Center, Office of State Budget and Management. 1991. 1990 Census of Population and Housing--Characteristics of Persons: North Carolina. Computer printout from Summary Tape File 1, Raleigh, North Carolina.
- World Health Organization. 1977, 1978. Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death, 2 vols. Office of Publications, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
- U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Public Health Service, Office of Health Research, Statistics and Technology, National Center for Health Statistics. October, 1979. List of 3-Digit Categories, ICD-9, Effective 1979, reproduced from the Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death, Ninth Revision, 1975, with permission of the World Health Organization. Hyattsville, Maryland.
- U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Public Health Service, Office of Health Research, Statistics and Technology, National Center for Health Statistics. February, 1980. Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 28, No. 11 Supplement. Hyattsville, Maryland
Page last updated November 17, 2003