ILL DEFINED CAUSES (R00-R99)
Ill defined causes (R00-R99) accounted for 1,525 deaths registered in Australia in 2006. This represents 1.1% of all registered deaths. This is an increase of 480 (46%) compared with 2005 and more than any other year over the past 10 years.
This increase can be attributed to the number of open coronial cases remaining on National Coronial Information System (NCIS) at the end of the ABS processing period. The majority of open cases for which no information is available at the end of processing have been coded to R99 Other ill-defined and unspecified causes. Deaths coded to this cause have increased 636 (129%) compared with 2005. For further information, see Technical Note Coroner Certified Deaths .
Deaths coded to Unattended Death (R98) decreased from 231 in 2005 to 57 in 2006. For further information, see Explanatory Notes 67.
In 2006, there were 66 deaths identified as being due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (R95). This was fewer than in 2005, when 87 deaths were attributed to SIDS. The decrease in the number of SIDS deaths is in part due to the increase in the number of deaths due to Other ill-defined and unspecified causes (R99). There are 64 deaths in 2006 under the age of 1 year with Other ill-defined and unspecified causes (R99) as the underlying cause of death. In 2005 there were 38 deaths under 1 year of age with the same underlying cause. In processing Causes of Death, the ABS will only code a death to SIDS if specifically mentioned on the death certificate. The number of open coronial cases could potentially include deaths which would be determined as SIDS deaths when closed. For further information, see Technical Note Coroner Certified Deaths.
For the past 10 years, more males have died from SIDS than females. This has continued in 2006, with 41 male deaths compared to 25 female deaths. The majority of these deaths occurred in the period between 28 days and 1 year of age, with 57 deaths infants in this age range with SIDS as the underlying cause of death in 2006. Again, this is consistent with previous years.
2.18 Selected Underlying Causes, Ill Defined Causes (R00-R99) - 2006 |
|  |
| Males | Females | Persons | Proportion of all deaths | |
| Cause of death and ICD code | no. | no. | no. | % | |
| |
| Chapter XVIII Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99) | 858 | 667 | 1 525 | 1.1 | |
| Symptoms and signs involving the circulatory and respiratory systems (R00-R09) | 15 | 30 | 45 | - | |
| Other symptoms and signs involving the circulatory and respiratory systems (R09) | 13 | 27 | 40 | - | |
| General symptoms and signs (R50-R69) | 63 | 149 | 212 | 0.2 | |
| Malaise and fatigue (R53) | 5 | 18 | 23 | - | |
| Senility (R54 ) | 32 | 88 | 120 | 0.1 | |
| Other general symptoms and signs (R68) | 14 | 20 | 34 | - | |
| Ill-defined and unknown causes of mortality (R95-R99) | np | np | np | np | |
| Sudden infant death syndrome (R95) | 41 | 25 | 66 | - | |
| Unattended death (R98 ) | 31 | 26 | 57 | - | |
| Other ill-defined and unspecified causes of mortality (R99) | 703 | 428 | 1 131 | 0.8 | |
| |
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated |
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