[Causes of death in Dakar and health policy]

The study of mortality enables to identify the major public health problems in the countries under consideration. It can give an indication on the preventive and "medico-curative" measures as well as on the investments in research that could increase life expectancy of the population. This study aims to evaluate the causes of death in the general population based on the informations contained in the register of deaths in Dakar. Our specific aim was to determine the causes of death, to identify the socio-demographic factors influencing death and to identify the kinds of death and types of death. We conducted a retrospective study on the cases of death in the general population who underwent an autopsy in Dakar, from 2003 to 2012. Data were taken from the autopsy registers from the Aristide Le Dantec Hospital (HALD) and the General Hospital of Grand Yoff (HOGGY), which are the only hospitals in Dakar where autopsies are made. The informations contained in the different data sources were recorded on a survey form and analyzed using Epi-Info 6.04. During the study period, 985 patients died among whom 693 of violent death (70.3%), 261 of natural death (26.5%), and 14 of unspecified cause (1.4%). There was a predominance of traffic accidents (394; 40%). With respect to the kind of death, more than half of the cases were due to traffic accidents (violent deaths). Traffic-related deaths most often occurred during the pre-hospitalization period or on arrival to the hospital. The Ministry of Health should continue to promote measures for preventing and managing communicable diseases. The two priorities should be as follows: cardiovascular diseases and traumas.