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 4
Association between having undergone autopsy and demographic characteristics of decedents 1–49 years of age and clinicopathologic syndrome for unexplained deaths possibly resulting from infectious causes, Arizona*
| Characteristic | No. (%) decedents | No. (%) autopsies | Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2,097 (100.0) | 696 (33.2) | |
| Race | |||
| White | 1,648 (78.6) | 580 (35.2) | Reference |
| Black | 148 (7.1) | 53 (35.8) | 1.0 (0.7–1.5) |
| Other† | 301 (14.4) | 63 (20.9) | 0.5 (0.4–0.7) |
| Age group, y | |||
| 1–17 | 211 (10.1) | 94 (44.5) | 1.9 (1.4–2.6) |
| 18–39 | 728 (34.7) | 277 (38.0) | 1.6 (1.3–2.0) |
| 40–49 | 1,158 (55.2) | 325 (28.1) | Reference |
| Syndrome | |||
| Gastrointestinal | 25 (1.2) | 15 (60.0) | 1.8 (0.8–4.1) |
| Neurologic | 54 (2.6) | 28 (51.9) | 1.2 (0.7–2.1) |
| Respiratory | 319 (15.2) | 142 (44.5) | 0.9 (0.7–1.2) |
| Cardiovascular | 213 (10.2) | 59 (27.7) | 0.4 (0.3–0.6) |
| Sepsis/shock | 428 (20.4) | 62 (14.5) | 0.2 (0.2–0.3) |
| Multisyndrome | 348 (16.6) | 56 (16.1) | 0.2 (0.2–0.3) |
| Unknown/other | 710 (33.9) | 334 (47.0) | Reference |
*By multivariate logistic regression analysis. Numbers reflect decedents for whom autopsy information was available; autopsy status was not available for 0.2% of the 2,102 persons who died of unexplained causes. Variables are independently associated with autopsy.
†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.
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