Table 1

Cause of death from Vital Statistics Department* and based on Verbal Autopsy of 48 000 adult deaths (aged ≥ 25) in Chennai (urban), south India: 1995–97

Causes of death (ICD9 codes)
Cause of death in VSD
Cause of death based on Verbal Autopsy

M (%)
F (%)
M (%)
F (%)

Vascular disease (390–415, 418–459)
8319 (30)
5168 (25)
11056 (41)
7435 (37)
Respiratory tuberculosis (TB) (011, 012, 018)
1399 (5)
372 (2)
2231 (8)
575 (3)
Other respiratory diseases (416, 417, 460–519)
1088 (4)
596 (3)
1597 (6)
855 (4)
Neoplasm (140–239)
1163 (4)
1002 (5)
2344 (9)
1999 (10)
Infection except respiratory & TB (rest of 1–139, 279.8 [HIV], 320-6, 590, 680-6)
584 (2)
303 (2)
1034 (4)
618 (3)
Unspecified medical causes (780-9, 797-9)
12291 (44)
115 11 (56)
4367 (16)
5889 (29)
Other specified medical causes
1899 (7)
1045 (5)
4414 (16)
2804 (14)
No cause given in VSD (hence probably medical)
983 (4)
634 (3)
Nil
Nil
Total deaths – medical
27 726
20 631
27 043
20 175
Re-assigned by VA to external causes
*Excluded from the study
683
456
Total deaths (medical causes+external causes)
27 726
20 631
27 726
20 631

*Deaths(M: 3644; F:1644) that were assigned by the Vital Statistics Department(VSD) to non-medical causes were excluded from the study

Gajalakshmi and Peto BMC Public Health 2004 4:47   doi:10.1186/1471-2458-4-47