The crude death rate of Chennai is about 9 per 1000. Which means that every year in a population of 1000, 9 people die due to various reasons.
Hearth attack contributes to 47% of the total death cases reported. This is an astounding number. Diabetes related complication contributes to about 6.12%. Respiratory failure contributes to about 5.97% of the total death cases. Cancer contributes to 4.12% of the death cases.
The below table gives you a the recorded causes of death in the city. What is surprising is the disproportionate number of death caused due to heart attacks!
| Sl.No. | Name of the Causes for Death | No. of the Death |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abortions | 0 |
| 2 | Accidental Burns | 874 |
| 3 | Accidental Poisoning &Other Than Food Poisoning | 5 |
| 4 | Anaemia | 41 |
| 5 | Appendicitis | 0 |
| 6 | Bites or strings of animals insects etc., | 15 |
| 7 | Bronchitis Asthma | 195 |
| 8 | Cancer | 2583 |
| 9 | Chronic Liver Diseases | 1154 |
| 10 | Dengue | 1 |
| 11 | DiabetiesMelhitus | 3579 |
| 12 | Falls / Drowing | 102 |
| 13 | Food Poisoning | 5 |
| 14 | Heart Diseases and Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) | 27372 |
| 15 | Homicide | 34 |
| 16 | Jaundice | 59 |
| 17 | Accident Road Traffic Accident | 225 |
| 18 | AIDS | 8 |
| 19 | Maternal Death | 0 |
| 20 | Malaria | 3 |
| 21 | Measles | 1 |
| 20 | Meningitis | 7 |
| 21 | Other Accidents not elsewhere classified | 1645 |
| 22 | Others | 3497 |
| 23 | Others not elsewhere classified | 2800 |
| 24 | Paralysis | 38 |
| 25 | Pneumonia | 898 |
| 26 | Prematurity Birth | 364 |
| 27 | Rabies | 2 |
| 28 | Senility | 5277 |
| 29 | Suicide | 858 |
| 30 | Swine Flu | 3 |
| 31 | Syphilis and other Genito Urinary Diseases | 1 |
| 32 | Tetanus | 0 |
| 33 | Traffic Accident | 827 |
| 34 | Tuberculosis | 647 |
| 35 | Typhoid | 1 |
| 36 | Accident Air Accident | 2 |
| 37 | Accident Train Traffic Accident | 106 |
| 38 | Asphyxia | 10 |
| 39 | Auto Immunine | 0 |
| 40 | Multi Organ Failure | 401 |
| 41 | Kidney - Nephritis | 49 |
| 42 | Kidney Other Kidney Kisorder | 449 |
| 43 | Kidney Reneal Failure | 323 |
| 44 | Drowning / Water Accident | 52 |
| 45 | Respiratory Failure | 3495 |
| 46 | Septicaemia | 497 |
| Total | 58505 |
Top 9 Causes of death in Chennai
- Heart Diseases and Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
- Senility
- Diabeties Melhitus
- Respiratory Failure
- Cancer
- Chronic Liver Diseases
- Pneumonia
- Accidental Burns
- Suicide
Variation between Recorded Death and Verbal Autopsy
Though this is completely a different line of approach to the death rate numbers mentioned above, based on the study conducted by Vendhan Gajalakshmi and Richard Peto published in Bio Med Central (Go to Report) there is about a 50% difference between the recorded death cause and the verbal autopsy during the reported period.
| Causes of death (ICD9 codes) | Cause of death in VSD | Cause of death based on Verbal Autopsy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M (%) | F (%) | M (%) | F (%) | |
| Vascular disease (390–415, 418–459) | 8319 (30) | 5168 (25) | 11056 (41) | 7435 (37) |
| Respiratory tuberculosis (TB) (011, 012, 018) | 1399 (5) | 372 (2) | 2231 (8) | 575 (3) |
| Other respiratory diseases (416, 417, 460–519) | 1088 (4) | 596 (3) | 1597 (6) | 855 (4) |
| Neoplasm (140–239) | 1163 (4) | 1002 (5) | 2344 (9) | 1999 (10) |
| Infection except respiratory & TB (rest of 1–139, 279.8 [HIV], 320-6, 590, 680-6) | 584 (2) | 303 (2) | 1034 (4) | 618 (3) |
| Unspecified medical causes (780-9, 797-9) | 12291 (44) | 115 11 (56) | 4367 (16) | 5889 (29) |
| Other specified medical causes | 1899 (7) | 1045 (5) | 4414 (16) | 2804 (14) |
| No cause given in VSD (hence probably medical) | 983 (4) | 634 (3) | Nil | Nil |
| Total deaths – medical | 27 726 | 20 631 | 27 043 | 20 175 |
| Re-assigned by VA to external causes | *Excluded from the study | 683 | 456 | |
| Total deaths (medical causes+external causes) | 27 726 | 20 631 | 27 726 | 20 631 |
Chennai vs National Rates
The death rates due to Heart attacks is marginally lesser. It must also be mentioned that the number of deaths due to Diarrhea is significantly lesser compared to national average.
In any case the the number of the deaths due to cardio vascular diseases, is way higher. Administrations needs to start creating a city where more walking and cycling activities are promoted. Increasing the number of urban spaces to increase physical activity is the need of the hour.