A retrospective study of mortality in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Bagalkot, Karnataka, India

Cause of death statistics from hospitals are considered along with mortality data from other sources to constitute the essential statistics on the health of a population. Mortality data is used to periodically review health priorities, set research agendas and monitor progress towards national and global health and development goals. There has been an increase in the frequency of new health problems like coronary heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes and accidents. The emerging picture is a mixture of the old and modern diseases. Hence, this study was done to know the socio demographic profile and pattern of causes of death in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Bagalkot, Karnataka, India.

The case reports of all deaths for the 5 year period i.e. 2012 to 2016 from the Medical Records Department were analyzed to study the socio demographic profile and the pattern of causes of death. The deaths were classified according to ICD 10^th revision.

In all the 5 years, male deaths were more than female deaths. Almost three-fourths of deaths were in males and females from rural areas. Non communicable diseases contributed to 62.88% to 72.75% of the deaths during the 5 year study duration.

The present study indicates that Bagalkot district is going through an epidemiological transition from communicable to non communicable diseases and there is a need for health awareness in the community about changing lifestyles and its harmful effects on health.