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Clostridium

Volume 489: debated on Tuesday 17 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1882-3W, on clostridium, how often cancer was mentioned on the death certificates on which (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile was mentioned in each year. (263677)

The information is shown in the following tables. Figures for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are for the year 1997 to 2007, and for Clostridium difficile for the years 1999 and 2001 to 2007, the latest year for which figures are available.

Deaths involving Clostridium difficile1,2 where cancer3 was also mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales4, 1999, 2001 to 20075

Persons

Deaths

1999

74

2001

94

2002

132

2003

160

2004

236

2005

394

2006

796

2007

1,168

1 Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics (ONS): Report: Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-2005. Health Statistics Quarterly 33, 71-75.

2 Deaths involving Clostridium difficile can only be identified using the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This has been used by ONS for coding mortality from 2001 onwards and in 1999 for a bridge coding study. Data are therefore not available for 2000 when the Ninth Revision of the ICD was in use.

3 Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97.

4 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.

5 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Deaths involving Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus1 where cancer2 was also mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales3, 1999 to 20074

Persons

Deaths

1997

115

1998

118

1999

102

2000

170

2001

124

2002

149

2003

181

2004

218

2005

305

2006

283

2007

271

1 Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004). Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993-2002. Health Statistics Quarterly 21, 15-22.

2 Cause of death for cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140-208 for 1999 to 2000 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 for 2001 to 2007. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the number of deaths from this cause, before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years.

3 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.

4 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1882-83W, on clostridium, which five other conditions were mentioned most frequently on the death certificates on which (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile was mentioned in each year; and how often each such condition was mentioned in each year. (263678)

The information requested is shown in the following tables. Figures for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are available for the years 2001 to 2007, and for Clostridium difficile for the years 1999 and 2001 to 2007, the latest year for which figures are available.

Table 1: The five causes of death1 mentioned most frequently on death certificates on which MRSA2 was also mentioned, England and Wales3,2001-074,5

Deaths (persons)

Causes of death

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

ICD codes

Cerebrovascular diseases

*

140

*

174

265

*

*

I60-I69

Diabetes

148

*

*

*

*

*

253

E10-E14

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue

147

143

178

187

274

284

250

M00-M99

Diseases of the urinary system

260

300

363

393

505

535

498

N00-N39

Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease

*

*

175

*

*

264

*

I50-I51

Influenza and pneumonia

206

192

246

264

401

401

453

J10-J18

Ischaemic heart diseases

196

221

267

311

396

442

404

I20-I25

1 Selected using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code groups published in: Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Wales—how should we group causes? “Health Statistics Quarterly” 28, p6-17. Codes used to identify MRSA deaths were excluded.

2 Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004). Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993-2002. “Health Statistics Quarterly” 21, 15-22.

3 Figures for England and Wales includes deaths of non-residents.

4 Data are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

5 An asterisk (*) denotes this was not one of the five causes of death mentioned most frequently in this year.

Table 2: The five causes of death1 mentioned most frequently on death certificates on which Clostridium difficile2,3 was also mentioned, England and Wales4, 1999 and 2001 to 20075,6

Deaths (persons)

Causes of death

1999

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

ICD codes

Cerebrovascular diseases

*

*

*

*

*

468

769

1,057

I60-I69

Diseases of the urinary system

173

216

302

381

535

894

1,657

2,086

N00-N39

Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease

131

166

182

232

290

*

*

*

I50-I51

Influenza and pneumonia

333

364

445

513

618

992

1,706

2,180

J10-J18

Ischaemic heart diseases

183

223

244

373

433

675

1,199

1,604

I20-I25

Septicaemia

145

202

280

349

461

816

1,459

1,627

A40-A41

1 Selected using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code groups published in: Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Wales—how should we group causes? “Health Statistics Quarterly” 28, p6-17. Codes used to identify Clostridium difficile deaths were excluded.

2 Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics (ONS): Report: Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-05. “Health Statistics Quarterly” 33, 71-75.

3 Deaths involving Clostridium difficile can be identified using the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This has been used by ONS for coding mortality from 2001 onwards and in 1999 for a bridge coding study. Data are therefore not available for 2000 when the Ninth Revision of the ICD was in use.

4 Figures for England and Wales includes deaths of non-residents.

5 Data are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

6 An asterisk (*) denotes this was not one of the five causes of death mentioned most frequently in this year