What Do Australians Die from? An Assessment Using Multiple Causes of Death

Karen Bishop, AIHW
Katrina Sheehan, AIHW
Michelle Gourley, AIHW

Background: Understanding what Australians die from is complex and can differ depending how we answer the question: by the underlying (UC), direct (DC) or contributory (CC) causes. We aimed to identify the most common conditions by cause type. Methods: Using 2022 Australian death registrations (n=190939) we categorised each ICD-10 cause mentioned (n=628998) to one of 197 health conditions. The location on the death certificate was used to identify each cause as underlying, direct or contributory. Conditions were ranked by sex, age and cause type according to their percentage involvement in causing death. Results: Coronary heart disease was the most common condition mentioned overall (20.0% deaths) and most common UC (9.8%), lower respiratory infections was the most common DC (8.1%), and hypertension the most common CC (8.1%). CC highlighted common non-medical (psychosocial) factors. 4,007 coroner-certified deaths mentioned at least 1 psychosocial factor: of these mentions, 24.8% related to support systems, 24.2% to issues with intimate partners (such as relationship breakdowns) and 23.4% to suicide ideation. Conclusion: A multiple cause approach provides a fuller picture of death. While the UC helps identify intervention points, understanding DC offers insights to improve health care and prevent injuries, and CC highlight additional targets for prevention.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Data and Methods, Population Ageing

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