Mortality and autopsy rate from urogenital diseases in Finland in 1955-1973

Mortality from various urogenital diseases including the malignant neoplasms of the genito-urinary system and the breast in Finland in 1955-1973 was studied. Only minor changes were found in the total death rate of all these diseases between 1955 and 1973. However, the age-specific death rates of the nephritis-nephrosis group decreased both among males and females. Also mortality from all other urogenital diseases than malignant neoplasms decreased among elderly and middle-aged people. Mortality from malignant neoplasms of the breast increased slightly among elderly women and that of the prostate among elderly men. The autopsy rate of the deaths due to all other urogenital diseases (33.5% in 1973) than malignant neoplasms (27.4%) was of the same order as that recorded for all natural deaths (33.2%) in Finland between 1963 and 1973. Many types of malignant urogenital neoplasms remained significantly under-autopsied. The highest autopsy rates of the single urogenital diseases were recorded for acute nephritis and unqualified nephritis; the respective national rates were 90 and 71%, in 1973. These rates exceeded highly significantly the mean national autopsy rate of all deaths which was 38.2%.