Brazilian adult mortality among men: impact of the health services' investigation of ill-defined causes of death

Mortality among adults should be addressed as a priority in Brazil because it has become relatively more important than mortality in other groups. Reliable mortality data are important in particular for monitoring homicide and road traffic accidents, which are the top causes of death among adult males in Brazil. However, deaths coded to ill-defined diseases and ill-defined injuries still represent a substantial proportion of all deaths. The aim of this proposal is to evaluate the mortality from ill-defined causes of death in 2000-2010 and the impact of the health services’ investigation into measures of adult mortality among men in 2010 in Brazil. The proportion of ill-defined causes of death among male adult deaths in Brazil was 10.5% in 2000 and in 2010 the proportion fell significantly to 6.6% after investigation and to 1.9% after correction. Ill-defined injuries fell from 9.0% in 2000 to 5.2% in 2010 after investigation and 0.6% after data correction. After adjustment, homicide and road traffic accidents were estimated to have caused 30% of all deaths in men. The findings indicate the importance of adjusting the data based on the improved strengthening of expertise in death investigation of ill-defined causes.