Cause of death

For national mortality statistics, every death is attributed to one underlying condition, based on information reported on the death certificate and using international rules for selecting the underlying cause of death from the conditions stated on the certificate. The underlying cause is defined by the World Health Organization as “the disease or injury that initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury.” Generally, more medical information is reported on death certificates than is directly reflected in the underlying cause of death. Conditions that are not selected as the underlying cause of death constitute the nonunderlying causes of death, also known as multiple cause of death.

Cause of death is coded according to the appropriate revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (see Sources and Definitions, International Classification of Diseases [ICD]). Effective with deaths occurring in 1999, the United States began using the 10th revision of ICD (ICD–10); during 1979–1998, causes of death were coded and classified according to the 9th revision (ICD–9). COD-Table lists ICD codes for the 6th through 10th revisions for causes of death shown in Health, United States. In Health, United States, common terms are sometimes used in the text in place of medical terminology. Examples include cancer for “malignant neoplasm” and kidney disease for “nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis.”

Each ICD revision has produced discontinuities in cause-of-death trends. These discontinuities are measured by using comparability ratios that are essential to the interpretation of mortality trends. (Also see Sources and Definitions, Comparability ratio.) For further discussion, see: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality/comparability_icd.htm. (Also see Sources and Definitions, Comparability ratio; International Classification of Diseases [ICD]; and National Vital Statistics System [NVSS]: Multiple Cause-of-Death File.)

COD-Table. Cause-of-death codes, by applicable revision of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

COD-Table. Cause-of-death codes, by applicable revision of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
Cause of death (10th revision titles)	6th and 7th revisions	8th revision	9th revision	10th revision
Communicable diseases	…	…	001–139, 460–466, 480–487, 771.3	A00–B99, J00–J22
Chronic and noncommunicable diseases	…	…	140–459, 470–478, 490–799	C00–I99, J30–R99
Septicemia	…	…	038	A40–A41
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease¹	…	…	042–044	B20–B24
Malignant neoplasms	140–205	140–209	140–208	C00–C97
Colon, rectum, and anus	153–154	153–154	153, 154	C18–C21
Trachea, bronchus and lung	162–163	162	162	C33–C34
Diabetes mellitus	260	250	250	E10–E14
Anemias	…	…	280–285	D50–D64
Meningitis	…	…	320–322	G00, G03
Parkinson’s disease	350	342	332	G20–G21
Alzheimer’s disease	…	…	331.0	G30
Diseases of the circulatory system	…	…	390–459	I00–I99
Diseases of heart	400–402, 410–443	390–398, 402, 404, 410–429	390–398, 402, 404, 410–429	I00–I09, I11, I13, I20–I51
Ischemic heart disease	…	…	410–414, 429.2	I20–I25
Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease	…	…	…	I10, I12, I15
Cerebrovascular diseases	330–334	430–438	430–434, 436–438	I60–I69
Atherosclerosis	…	…	440	I70
Influenza and pneumonia²	480–483, 490–493	470–474, 480–486	480–487	J09–J18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	241, 501, 502, 527.1	490–493, 519.3	490–494, 496	J40–J47
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis	581	571	571	K70, K73–K74
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	…	…	580–589	N00–N07, N17–N19, N25–N27
Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium	640–689	630–678	630–676	O00–O99
Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities	…	…	740–759	Q00–Q99
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period	…	…	760–779	P00–P96
Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy	…	…	761	P01
Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes	…	…	762	P02
Disorders related to short gestation and low birthweight, not elsewhere classified	…	…	765	P07
Birth trauma	…	…	767	P10–P15
Intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia	…	…	768	P20–P21
Respiratory distress of newborn	…	…	769	P22
Bacterial sepsis of newborn	…	…	…	P36
Neonatal hemorrhage³	…	…	772	P50–P52, P54
Sudden infant death syndrome	…	…	798.0	R95
Injuries⁴	…	…	E800–E869, E880–E929, E950–E999	U01–U03, V01–Y36, Y85–Y87, Y89
Unintentional injuries⁵	E800–E936, E960–E965	E800–E929, E940–E946	E800–E869, E880–E929	V01–X59, Y85–Y86
Motor vehicle-related injuries⁵	E810–E835	E810–E823	E810–E825	V02–V04, V09.0, V09.2, V12–V14, V19.0–V19.2, V19.4–V19.6, V20–V79, V80.3–V80.5, V81.0–V81.1, V82.0–V82.1, V83–V86, V87.0–V87.8, V88.0–V88.8, V89.0, V89.2
Poisoning	E870–E888, E890–E895	E850–E877	E850–E869	X40–X49
Suicide⁴	E963, E970–E979	E950–E959	E950–E959	*U03, X60–X84, Y87.0
Homicide⁴	E964, E980–E983	E960–E969	E960–E969	U01–U02, X85–Y09, Y87.1
Firearm-related injury	…	E922, E955, E965, E970, E985	E922, E955.0–E955.4, E965.0–E965.4, E970, E985.0–E985.4	*U01.4, W32–W34, X72–X74, X93–X95, Y22–Y24, Y35.0
Injury by drug overdose	…	…	…	X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, Y10–Y14
Any opioid	…	…	…	X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, Y10–Y14 (underlying cause) and T40.0–T40.4, T40.6 (multiple cause)
Heroin	…	…	…	X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, Y10–Y14 (underlying cause) and T40.1 (multiple cause)
Natural and semisynthetic opioids	…	…	…	X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, Y10–Y14 (underlying cause) and T40.2 (multiple cause)
Methadone	…	…	…	X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, Y10–Y14 (underlying cause) and T40.3 (multiple cause)
Other synthetic opioids (other than methadone)	…	…	…	X40–X44, X60–X64, X85, Y10–Y14 (underlying cause) and T40.4 (multiple cause)

… Category not applicable; cause-of-death codes are not provided for causes not shown in Health, United States.

¹ Categories for coding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were introduced in 1987. The asterisk (*) indicates codes that were not part of ICD–9.

² Starting with 2007 data, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) introduced the category J09 for coding avian influenza virus. In 2009, the title for ICD–10 code J09 was changed from “Influenza due to identified avian influenza virus” to “Influenza due to certain identified influenza virus” to accommodate deaths from influenza A (H1N1) virus in the ICD–10 code J09 for data years 2009 and beyond.

³ Under ICD–9, this category is called Fetal and neonatal hemorrhage.

⁴ Starting with 2001 data, NCHS introduced categories *U01–*U03 for classifying and coding deaths due to acts of terrorism. The asterisk (*) indicates codes that are not part of ICD–10.

⁵ In the public health community, the term “unintentional injuries” is preferred to accidents, and the term “motor vehicle-related injuries” is preferred to motor vehicle accidents.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics. Advance report: Final mortality statistics, 1974. Monthly Vital Statistics Report; vol 24 no 11 suppl. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 1976. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/mvsr/supp/mv24_11sacc.pdf; Hoyert DL, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL. Deaths: Final data for 1997. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 47 no 19. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 1999. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr47/nvs47_19.pdf; Hoyert DL, Heron MP, Murphy SL, Kung HC. Deaths: Final data for 2003. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 54 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2006. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr54/nvsr54_13.pdf; and Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD. Deaths: Final data for 2010. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 61 no 4. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf; Xu JQ, Murphy S, Kochanek KD, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2019. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 70 no 8. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-08-508.pdf.