The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 29 January 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the ten most frequently recorded causes of death were for (a) men, (b) women, (c) boys under the age of 18 years and (d) girls under the age of 18 years in Torbay constituency in each of the last ten years. (314609)
The tables attached present the ten most frequently recorded causes of death1, for (a) males aged 18 years and over (Table 1) and (b) females aged 18 years and over (Table 2), in Torbay parliamentary constituency, for the years 2001 to 2008 (the latest year available).
Due to the small numbers of deaths of (c) boys under the age of 18 years and (d) girls under the age of 18 years, equivalent information for frequently recorded causes of death could not be produced.
Individual causes of death are coded by ONS using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The causes of death shown in the tables are groups of codes designed for the tabulation of deaths according to 'main' causes2. Equivalent information is not readily available for years before 2001, when an earlier version of the International Classification of Diseases was in use.
1 In some years, more than 10 causes of death are presented where the numbers of deaths were the same as those for the 10th most frequent cause.
2 Griffiths, C, Rooney, C, and Brock, A. (2005) ‘Leading causes of death in England and Wales - how should we group causes?'
Years when this was a main cause of death for males Cause of death4 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 ICD-10 codes Aortic aneurysm and dissection — — — — — * * * 171 Cerebrovascular diseases * * * * * * * * 160-169 Chronic lower respiratory diseases * * * * * * * * J40-J47 Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver — — — * * — — — K70-K76 Dementia and Alzheimer's disease * * * * * * * * F01, F03, G30 Diseases of the urinary system * * — — — — — — N00-N39 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease * * * * — — * — 150-151 Influenza and pneumonia * * * * * * * * J10-J18 Ischaemic heart diseases * * * * * * * * 120-125 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus * * * * * * * * C18-C21 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of pancreas — — — — — — — — C25 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of prostate * * * * * * * * C61 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of trachea, bronchus and lung * * * * * * * C33-C34 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue — — * — * — — * C81-C96 Parkinson's disease — — — — — — * — G20 1 Most frequent causes of death recorded as the underlying cause in male deaths registered in the year in question. These causes accounted for 59 per cent of all male deaths in Torbay constituency between 2001 and 2008. 2 Cause of death in England and Wales is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). 3 Based on boundaries as of 2009. 4 The words in brackets have been added for clarity and are not part of the International Classification of Diseases.
Years when this was a main cause of death for females Cause of death4 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 ICD-10 codes Aortic aneurysm and dissection — — — — — — — * 171 Cerebrovascular diseases * * * * * * * * 160 Chronic lower respiratory diseases * * * * * * * * J40-J47, F01, F03 Dementia and Alzheimer's disease * * * * * * * * G30 Diabetes * — — — — — — — E10-E14 Diseases of the urinary system * * — — — * * * N00-N39 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease * * * * * * * * 150-151 Influenza and pneumonia * * * * * * * * J10-J18 Ischaemic heart diseases * * * * * * * — 120-125 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus * * * * * * * — C18-C21 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of ovary — * * * — * — * C56 Malignant neoplasm (cancer) of trachea, bronchus and lung * * * * * * * * C33-C34 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) of breast * * * * * * * * C50 Malignant neoplasms (cancer) of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue — — — —— * — — — C81-C96 1 Most frequent causes of death recorded as the underlying cause in female deaths registered in the year in question. These causes accounted for 58 per cent of all female deaths in Torbay constituency between 2001 and 2008. 2 Cause of death in England and Wales is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). 3 Based on boundaries as of 2009. 4 The words in brackets have been added for clarity and are not part of the International Classification of Diseases.