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Ministry of Health
TABLE 21
CAUSES OF DEATH BY GENDER AND AGE
BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1998

      Age Group (in Years) Total
ICD9 Code Causes of Death Gender < 1 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-44 45-64 65-79 80+ Number Percent ASMR
001-139 Infectious and parasitic M 2 2 1 - - - 72 58 61 45 241 1.7 1.18
  diseases F 2 - 1 - 1 1 21 28 46 78 178 1.3 0.69
    T 4 2 2 - 1 1 93 86 107 123 419 1.5 0.93
140-239 Neoplasms M 1 2 5 3 5 5 139 928 1,891 1,010 3,989 27.5 20.08
    F 1 5 1 2 5 3 169 885 1,521 1,001 3,593 27.0 14.36
    T 2 7 6 5 10 8 308 1,813 3,412 2,011 7,582 27.3 16.75
240-279 Endocrine/nutritional/metabolic M 3 - - - 1 - 10 77 184 146 421 2.9 2.16
  diseases & immunity disorders F 1 - 1 - - 3 13 41 126 227 412 3.1 1.51
    T 4 - 1 - 1 3 23 118 310 373 833 3.0 1.80
280-289 Diseases of blood and blood- M - 1 - - - - 2 5 17 27 52 0.4 0.28
  forming organs F 1 - - - - - 3 6 20 39 69 0.5 0.25
    T 1 1 - - - - 5 11 37 66 121 0.4 0.26
290-319 Mental disorders M - - - - - - 23 56 85 137 301 2.1 1.55
    F - - - - - - 12 25 70 340 447 3.4 1.46
    T - - - - - - 35 81 155 477 748 2.7 1.54
320-389 Diseases of the nervous M 2 1 2 4 2 2 14 41 132 152 352 2.4 1.83
  system and sense organs F 1 - 1 - 1 2 14 32 106 224 381 2.9 1.36
    T 3 1 3 4 3 4 28 73 238 376 733 2.6 1.56
390-459 Diseases of the circulatory M - 2 1 - 1 1 102 641 2,016 2,236 5,000 34.5 26.03
  system F - - 1 1 2 3 51 259 1,319 3,373 5,009 37.7 16.94
    T - 2 2 1 3 4 153 900 3,335 5,609 10,009 36.0 20.97
460-519 Diseases of the respiratory M 1 - - - 1 1 19 112 550 830 1,514 10.4 8.05
  system F - 1 - 1 1 2 11 67 400 951 1,434 10.8 4.89
    T 1 1 - 1 2 3 30 179 950 1,781 2,948 10.6 6.14
520-579 Diseases of the digestive M 3 - 1 - - - 30 138 181 157 510 3.5 2.56
  system F 1 - - - - - 20 70 173 260 524 3.9 1.93
    T 4 - 1 - - - 50 208 354 417 1,034 3.7 2.23
580-629 Diseases of the genitourinary M - - - - - 1 1 18 94 108 222 1.5 1.17
  system F - - - - - - 2 10 65 156 233 1.8 0.79
    T - - - - - 1 3 28 159 264 455 1.6 0.95
630-676 Complications of pregnancy, M - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  childbirth and the puerperium F - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 0.0 ++
    T - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 0.0 ++
680-709 Diseases of the skin and M - - - - - - - 1 4 4 9 0.1 0.05
  subcutaneous tissue F - - - - - - - 2 5 17 24 0.2 0.08
    T - - - - - - - 3 9 21 33 0.1 0.07
710-739 Diseases of the musculoskeletal M - - - - - - 1 7 14 14 36 0.2 0.19
  system and connective tissue F - - - - - - 5 14 17 36 72 0.5 0.27
    T - - - - - - 6 21 31 50 108 0.4 0.23
740-759 Congenital anomalies M 33 7 - 2 3 1 6 12 3 3 70 0.5 0.39
    F 24 1 2 1 - 1 9 8 7 7 60 0.5 0.31
    T 57 8 2 3 3 2 15 20 10 10 130 0.5 0.35
760-779 Certain conditions originating M 37 - - - - - - - - - 37 0.3 0.22
  in the perinatal period F 29 - - - - - - - - - 29 0.2 0.19
    T 66 - - - - - - - - - 66 0.2 0.21
780-799 Symptoms, signs and ill-defined M 14 4 1 2 12 27 94 90 49 45 338 2.3 1.70
  conditions F 14 1 - - 6 3 42 28 39 83 216 1.6 0.90
    T 28 5 1 2 18 30 136 118 88 128 554 2.0 1.30
E800-E999 External causes M 1 8 9 16 65 90 589 341 147 138 1,404 9.7 6.97
    F 1 6 2 2 20 21 151 103 104 202 612 4.6 2.55
    T 2 14 11 18 85 111 740 444 251 340 2,016 7.3 4.74
  All causes M 97 27 20 27 90 128 1,102 2,525 5,428 5,052 14,496 100.0 74.39
    F 75 14 9 7 36 39 524 1,578 4,018 6,994 13,294 100.0 48.48
  PROVINCIAL TOTAL T 172 41 29 34 126 167 1,626 4,103 9,446 12,046 27,790 100.0 60.02

Note: ASMR - Age Standardized Mortality Rate per 10,000 standard population (Canada 1991 Census).
Previous reports used an older standard population, therefore the rates should not be compared to those shown here.
Total percentage may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
++ denotes the number of cases is 5 or less.
One infant death (due to multiple congenital anomalies) with gender unknown is excluded.
Non-residents are excluded.

HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 21
  • There were 27,790 deaths in British Columbia in 1998 (excluding one infant death with gender unknown), a slight increase from 27,254 in 1997. More than one half of all deaths in 1998 (52.2%) were males (14,496 deaths), and 13,294 deaths were females. Over three quarters (77.3%) of all 1998 deaths were seniors (age 65 or older), and the oldest age group (80 years of age or more) accounted for more than four out of every ten deaths (43.3%). One infant death with gender unknown is excluded from the above death related statistics for both 1997 and 1998.

  • The Age Standardized Mortality Rate (ASMR) for all causes of death in 1998 was 60.02 per 10,000 standard population. The 1998 ASMR for males was 74.39 and for females it was 48.48. The 1994-1998 life expectancy at birth (shown in Appendix 1) was 78.8 years for both genders combined; the life expectancy for men was 76.0 years compared to 81.6 years for women.

  • Diseases of the circulatory system were responsible for more than a third (36.0%) of all deaths in 1998 (10,009). It was the leading cause of death of the elderly (age 80 or older) who accounted for more than half (56.0%) of deaths due to circulatory system diseases (5,609 deaths age 80 or older out of the 10,009 deaths from this cause). The ASMR for circulatory system diseases was 20.97 per 10,000 standard population in 1998. For deaths due to sub-categories of circulatory system diseases, please refer to the Information Box, Deaths due to Circulatory System Diseases by Gender.

  • More than one in four deaths (27.3%) in 1998 was due to neoplasms, including cancers and non-malignant neoplasms (7,582 deaths). These diseases claim slightly younger lives than circulatory system diseases. Neoplasms were the leading cause of death in the 45-64 and 65-79 age groups. The total ASMR for neoplasms was 16.75 per 10,000 standard population. For deaths due to sub-categories of cancers, please refer to the Information Box, Deaths due to Cancers (Malignant Neoplasms) by Gender.

  • In 1998, one in nine deaths (10.6%) was due to diseases of the respiratory system (2,948). These deaths, including pneumonia/influenza and chronic lung disease, tend to occur in older age groups. In 1998, 92.6% of deaths from respiratory system diseases were seniors (age 65 and over). The ASMR for respiratory system diseases was 6.14 per 10,000 standard population.

  • External causes, also referred to as accidents and violence, claimed 2,016 lives in 1998, and seven out of every ten deaths (69.6%) from external causes were males. In contrast to natural causes of death, seven out of ten deaths from accidents and violence (70.7%) were under 65 years of age (1,425 deaths). Accidents and violence were the leading cause of death in all age groups under 45 years of age except for infants (under one year of age) where the leading cause of death was certain conditions originating in the perinatal period.