Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements and Challenges in Hepatitis B Virus Detection
Published on: December 15, 2023
Chronic hepatitis C mortality in Brazil from 2000 to 2019: An analysis of multiple causes of death
Larissa Festa1, Gerusa Maria Figueiredo1, Fatima Mitiko Tengan1
1Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Insights
Mortality from chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Brazil is undercounted. Many deaths list CHC as an associated cause, not the underlying cause, highlighting issues in death certificate coding.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Conventional mortality statistics may underestimate the full impact of chronic hepatitis C (CHC).
- Accurate mortality data is crucial for understanding disease burden and informing public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze deaths attributed to CHC in Brazil between 2000 and 2019.
- To assess CHC as both an underlying and multiple cause of death.
- To quantify the underenumeration of CHC mortality.
Main Methods:
- Ecological study utilizing Brazil's Mortality Information System data (2000-2019).
- Descriptive analysis of causes of death and sociodemographic variables.
- Comparison of CHC as an underlying cause versus an associated cause of death.
Main Results:
- 33,115 deaths mentioned CHC; 25,390 (76.67%) listed it as the underlying cause.
- CHC mortality was underenumerated by 30.42%, with 7,725 deaths listing it as an associated cause (often with liver cancer).
- Deaths involving CHC predominantly affected men, white individuals, aged 60+, with 12+ years of education.
Conclusions:
- Significant under-enumeration of CHC mortality in Brazil was observed from 2000-2019.
- Inadequate death certificate classification and coding practices contribute to undercounting.
- Improving death certificate completion and cause-of-death coding is recommended for accurate hepatitis C mortality indicators.
Introduction:
Conventional mortality statistics that concentrate only on the underlying cause of death may offer a limited view of the complexity of this condition and not fully capture the true extent of mortality from hepatitis C.
Objective:
To describe and analyze deaths due to chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Brazil, as both a underlying and multiple cause of death, from 2000 to 2019.
Methods:
This ecological study used data extracted from the Mortality Information System and descriptively analyzed causes of death and sociodemographic variables for the deceased.
Results:
During 2000-2019 there were 33,115 deaths with CHC listed on any line of the death certificate, and 25,390 (76.67 %) with CHC mentioned as the underlying cause. The authors found CHC mortality was underenumerated by 30.42 %, considering that 7725 death certificates mentioned this disease as an associated cause. Of these, liver cancer was reported as the underlying cause of 6510 deaths (84.27 %). When CHC was listed as the underlying cause, illnesses of the digestive tract were often associated with these deaths. The total number of deaths in which CHC was one of the multiple causes listed occurred predominantly in men, white people, aged 60 or over and with 12 or more years of education.
Conclusion:
An under-enumeration of mortality from CHC in Brazil was observed from 2000 to 2019, due to the inadequate classification of causes of death on the death certificates. Reviewing the processes of completing death certificates and coding causes is strongly recommended to obtain a more precise indicator of hepatitis C mortality.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...
01:16Hepatic Drug Excretion: Influencing Factors
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
01:29Chronic Pancreatitis II: Collaborative Care
Assessment:
01:08Prevalence and Incidence
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
01:24Chronic Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, which occurs when the immune system becomes active and causes swelling, pain, and disruptions in organ function. Pancreatitis can manifest as either an acute or chronic condition.
Acute pancreatitis arises suddenly and lasts for a brief duration, while chronic pancreatitis is a long-term affliction...