Are contributory causes of death in part 2 of the death certificate mediators of chains of morbid events leading to death?

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the United States, over half of all deaths are attributed to five leading underlying causes of death (at the ICD-3 digit level). However, these underlying causes represent only 25% of the total medical information documented on death certificates. While previous studies have investigated associations between causes of death, none have specifically examined the mechanisms of interaction among these causes. This study aims to explore the role of contributory causes of death recorded in Part 2 of the death certificate in the lethal process.

Methods

Working with U.S. Multiple Cause of Death Microdata in 2019, we use causal pie models to model the synergy between multiple causes of death.

Results

The findings show how contributory causes in Part 2 affect the

SUBMITTER: Ukolova E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12333147 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature