Analysis of Multiple Causes of Death in the Elderly Population of Québec (Canada), 2000-2004

Allison Blagrave, Université de Montréal
Robert R. Bourbeau, Université de Montréal
Robert Choinière, Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)

To this day, mortality analysis has primarily focused on the underlying cause of death who represent the disease or injury which initiated the sequence of morbid events leading to the death. But since death is due to a complex process, especially at advanced ages, analysis based solely on this concept has its limitations and some causes are more likely to be identified as the underlying cause than others. Selecting only one cause per death may influence the relative importance of the various causes of death. Multiple causes of death statistics provide a more complete view of mortality patterns. Although multiple causes of death for Québec have been compiled since 2000, no analysis using these data has been published so far. This paper will explore the analytical potential for multiple causes of death in Québec at age 65 and over using the International Classification of Diseases (10th revision).