SPECIFICITIES OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY

Abstract

Mortality case registration is one of the oldest statistical data keeping, more for the legal reasons. Mortality statistical data are used for demographic and health purposes, if they classified and adjusted for factors such as age, gender, etc. Deficiencies in mortality registration are absence of descriptive factors, absence of some case reports, inaccuracy in reported cases, and changes of description of the cause of disease in time. Specificities of mortality are: age, gender, and disease. Of the age related one, three categories are the most important, children under the age of one, 1-4 years group, and relative death rate, that is, percentage of death related to the group of over 50 years. In present time, the mortality specific data are based on reports on the Ministry of Health which is obtained from the reports of the cemeteries in Tehran and several large cities. According to these reports, children mortality in the large cities is 29 to 145 in 1000. Independent studies in the rural areas showed this rate to be 112.8 to 217 in 1000. Reported figures for the mortality rate of 1-4 years old age group in the large cities vary from 281 to 2206 per 1000. The reason for this difference is considered to be the deficiencies in the methods of reports of the regions. In all reported figures, the sex related group showed higher mortality rate in men, but due to deficiencies of the system of registration, this difference can not be considered real. The more important causes of death in Iran are related to malnutrition and infections. Sources of data for determination of morbidity rates are consistent reports of the contagious diseases, registration of all cases of chronic and non contagious diseases, and collection of data from the people as morbidity survey. In Iran, most of the cases are not reported; also, diagnoses are mostly on the bases of suspicions and guesses. For these reasons, the published statistical data and their variations can not be scientifically trusted. In the registration of a disease, only the important case of cancer registration in the north of Iran has been continued for some years as a research project, with successful results. Of the morbidity surveys, the health and diseases investigation project in Roudsar, the Bilharziosis studies in Khuzestan, national Malaria studies, and dermal Leishmaniasis, trachoma and dermal fungal diseases can be mentioned. These studies have produced relatively reliable data on the prevalence and appearance of the diseases, helping the control programs of these diseases.