Volume 18, Number 4—April 2012
CME ACTIVITY - Research
Determinants for Autopsy after Unexplained Deaths Possibly Resulting from Infectious Causes, United States
Lindy Liu
, Laura S. Callinan, Robert C. Holman, and Dianna M. Blau
, Laura S. Callinan, Robert C. Holman, and Dianna M. Blau
Table 3
Characteristics of decedents 1–49 years of age and autopsies conducted for unexplained deaths possibly resulting from infectious causes, United States*
| Characteristic | No. (%) decedents | No. (%) autopsies |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 96,242 (100) | 38,332 (39.8) |
| Sex | ||
| M | 57,238 (59.5) | 23,753 (41.5) |
| F | 39,004 (40.5) | 14,579 (37.4) |
| Race | ||
| White | 69,053 (71.7) | 28,125 (40.7) |
| Black | 23,657 (24.6) | 9,006 (38.1) |
| Other† | 3,532 (3.7) | 1,201 (34.0) |
| Age group, y | ||
| 1–17 | 8,844 (9.2) | 4,468 (50.5) |
| 18–39 | 34,382 (35.7) | 16,640 (48.4) |
| 40–49 | 53,016 (55.1) | 17,224 (32.5) |
| Syndrome | ||
| Gastrointestinal | 1,736 (1.8) | 837 (48.2) |
| Neurologic | 1,765 (1.8) | 676 (38.3) |
| Respiratory | 15,229 (15.8) | 5,607 (36.8) |
| Cardiovascular | 12,487 (13.0) | 4,404 (35.3) |
| Sepsis/shock | 20,762 (21.6) | 3,298 (15.9) |
| Multisyndrome | 12,371 (12.9) | 2,688 (21.7) |
| Unknown/other | 31,892 (33.1) | 20,822 (65.3) |
*Numbers reflect decedents for whom autopsy information was available; autopsy information was not available for 13.4% of the 111,160 persons who died of unexplained causes.
†American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Other Asian, Native Hawaiian, Guamanian or Chamorro, Samoan, other Pacific Islander, and other.
Page created: March 16, 2012
Page updated: March 16, 2012
Page reviewed: March 16, 2012
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