INJURIES CAUSING DEATH: THEIR NATURE, EXTERNAL CAUSES, AND ASSOCIATED DISEASES

This article provides national data on the types of injuries reported on death certificates, the external causes of these injuries, and diseases that are frequently reported with them. Injuries were a factor in 11% (213,366 deaths) of the deaths to residents of the United States in 1978. Of 11 broad categories of injuries, three (fractures, sprains, strains, and dislocations, intracranial injuries, and adverse effects) were mentioned on almost 50,000 deaths each. There was considerable variation in the distribution of injury types by age, sex, and race. The most notable example was fractures of the lower limb which were mentioned on 29% of the deaths involving an injury to 65 + year olds but no less than 5% of such deaths for all other age groups. For white females, the percentage with a fracture of the lower limb was 23% compared to 12% overall. In 25% of the deaths involving an injury, the immediate cause was a motor vehicle accident. In 51%, the immediate cause of the injury was a non-motor-vehicle accident. In 73% of the deaths involving non-motor-vehicle accidents, disease conditions as well as injuries were a factor; and 69% of the time, the disease condition was actually the underlying cause of the death with the injury being a contributing factor or complication. For example, over 14,000 deaths in 1978 involved a circulatory condition as the underlying cause of death which was complicated by an accidental fracture, sprain, or dislocation. Although diseases more often assumed the role of the underlying cause of death, they were also a nonunderlying cause in 24,000 non-motor-vehicle accident, deaths. Over 12,000 of such deaths involved circulatory diseases.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1800052
• Corporate Authors:

  National Safety Council

  444 North Michigan Avenue
  Chicago, IL  United States  60611
• Authors:
  • Chamblee, R F
  • Evans, M C
  • Patten, D G
  • Pearce, J S
• Publication Date: 1983-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 21-35
• Serial:
  • Journal of Safety Research
  • Volume: 14
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0022-4375
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00224375

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Diseases and medical conditions; Fatalities; Injuries; Statistics; Traffic crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Death rate; Motor vehicle accidents
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00380745
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-035 330
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 30 1984 12:00AM