Evaluation of Causes of Death in East of Iran during 2004-2010

Analysis of the leading causes of death in a community and comparing it with other communities is crucial for planning public health policy. The aim of this study was to determine mortality statistics in South Khorasan Province of Iran by using causes of death data which are classified based on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10).
In this cross-sectional study, data related to 20281 deaths for the period of 2004 to 2010 which were under the coverage of Birjand University of Medical Sciences were used. These data were collected by the office of statistical system of mortality (Death Registry) and the causes of deaths were classified based on ICD10. The obtained data was analyzed statistically with Pearson's Chi-square (χ2) test, t test and ANOVA in order to find out the pattern of mortality trend in South Khorasan Province.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were the leading cause of death (29.8%) with the mean age of 72.6±15.5 in all registered deaths. Moreover, ischemic heart disease (44.87%) and cerebrovascular disease (25.67%) were the most common causes in CVD group, respectively. The second leading cause was unintentional injuries (12.9%) which are mostly due to road traffic accidents. The mean age in this group was 36.8±24. Cancers ranked the 3rd place during the period of study with the mean age of 64.86±18.26. The most frequent cancers are related to stomach (15.3%) followed by liver and biliary system (11.4%), lungs and bronchus (9.5%).
Three leading causes of death were cardiovascular diseases, unintentional injuries and cancers which may be prevented by changing life style, diet and reducing risk factors like smoking, obesity and stress.