The proportion of death certificates of diabetic patients that mentioned diabetes in Osaka District, Japan

Abstract To determine the accuracy of the stated causes of death in diabetic patients, we analyzed 503 death certificates of diabetic patients who had been followed up for 9.4 years on average at Osaka Medical Center for Adulthood Diseases and had died during the observation period from 1960 to 1984. Of the certificates examined, only 213 (42.4%) mentioned diabetes, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory condition. The proportion of certificates that mentioned diabetes was related to the underlying cause of death; it was 18.7% for malignant neoplasms, 40.5% for cerebrovascular disease and 46.9% for disease of the heart, while it was 81.8% for renal disease. The proportion was higher for females (48.7%) than for males (39.5%), and a significant difference was observed between the sexes in the proportion in the case of disease of the heart. The proportion was not related to any significant extent to the year of death or the age at death. However, it was related to fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level and type of treatment. It was 37.8% and 54.4% for patients with FPG