MORTALITY AND CAUSE OF DEATH IN A HOSPITAL FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED CHILDREN

Abstract

The mortality and cause of 125 deaths among a total of 1,948 discharged patients from the Central Hospital, Aichi Prefectural Colony over a three-year period, January 1, 1971 to December 31, 1973, were investigated through clinical diagnosis and autopsy findings. The International Classification of Diseases Adapted was used to classify the diagnoses and causes of death. The incidence of disease was found to vary with sex among disease classification categories. Relatively higher mortality rates were seen in the categories of nervous system, digestive system, congenital anomalies, and perinatal morbidity. Mortality by sex, however, did not show significant differences within each of these categories. The younger the patient the higher the mortality rate. The major causes of death in the neonates were infections, pulmonary diseases, and CNS diseases.