BIBLIOGRAPHIC INPUT SHEET TEMPORARY Patterns of mortality ...

Chapter:XI
Other Diseases and External!Causes
The study of mortality from several other
important underlying causes contributes to
an understanding of the health problems
encountered in childhood. Among these are
leukemia and other malignant neoplasms,
external causes, and sudden death. Though
the numbers of deaths from malignant neoplasms
and from sudden death were relativeiy
small in the 15 projects (163 and
280), their importance becomes clearly evident
as the overall level of infant mortality
is reduced. The same relative importance
could be attached to the external causes,
which were responsible for 847 deaths.
In addition, mortality from several other
groups of diseases that are important as
associated as well as underlying causes is
discussed in this chapter to complete the
account of conditions responsible for deaths
of infants and young children.
MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS
Data on the geographic distribution of
mortality from leukemia and specific malignant
neoplasms contribute to the background
information needed in the search
for causes. Thus, though only few deaths
(163) were due to these conditions, a basis
is provided for exploring possible causative
factors and rel:tionships.
Tabl, 127 s mt'ws the mortality for the two
major groups, leukemia and other malignant
neoplasms (all of which were underlying
causes) in children under 5 years of age in
the 15 projects. Of the 163. deaths, 80, or
practically half, were caused by leukemia,
and the remaining 83 by other malignant
neoplasms. Seventeen of the deaths occurred
in the first year of life, while the numbers
were larger in the other age groups:
Other malignant
Leukemia neoplasma
Under 1 year 9 8
1 year
2 years
20
16
10
18
3 years 16 21
4 years 19 26
01Q
In four projects the death rates for these
100,000
two groups were at least 10 per
population: Sherbrooke, Chile, Kingston-St.
Andrew, and Ribeirao Prfto (Figure 109).
The three projects with large rural areas had
the lowest rates: El Salvador, Chaco Province,
and San Juan Province. The distributions
of these deaths in the rural and suburban
areas, combined for six Latin American