[Multiple causes of death due to non-communicable diseases: a multidimensional analysis]

This study approaches multiple causes of death to analyze the associations between causes of death from non-communicable diseases, age, and gender in 3,106 death certificates issued in 1998, comprising individuals who were 20 years old or over and resided in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The multiple cause of death approach, by considering all the diagnoses mentioned in the death certificate, highlights conditions that are underestimated by the underlying-cause approach that has traditionally been used in mortality statistics. Association of causes of death was analyzed using the multidimensional data analysis method with the multiple correspondence factor analysis technique. The results reinforce the usefulness of the multiple causes approach to improve information on mortality and demonstrate important associations, such as hypertension and cerebrovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes or ischemic heart diseases, allowing to plan, prioritize, and reevaluate health actions.