Cause-of-death coding as a factor influencing mortality rates from individual causes

The paper briefly presents the factors influencing mortality rates, the concept of the initial cause of death according to the rules of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the problems of selecting the initial cause of death, by taking into account both the ICD rules and the clinical logic of determining the cause of death. The unclear criteria for a number of diseases, the lack of international consistency in the clinical classifications and terms of the ICD, the frequent concurrence of several life-threatening diseases and conditions in one patient, which can equally be both a cause of death and a cause contributing to death, allow specialists to fill out death certificates to determine the cause of death depending on the scientific school, accumulated experience, and established coding practices. All of the above leads to considerable differences in mortality rates from individual causes in different countries and regions.

COVID-19, mortality, causes, initial cause of death, International Classification of Diseases, coding, COVID-19, cardiovascular diseases