NJDHSS 10 Major Causes of Infant Death

In order to provide a consistent grouping and ranking standard, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) prepared a List of 130 Selected Causes of Infant Death. Seventy-one causes on that list were designated as eligible to be ranked as leading causes of infant death (List of 71 Rankable Causes of Death). NJDHSS's Center for Health Statistics derived the List of 10 Major Causes of Infant Death from the list of 71 causes by grouping rare but rankable causes as well as unrankable causes into a residual group for ease of use and tabulation (#11 in the table below). For more information about the NCHS rankings see Cause of Death Ranking on the NCHS website.

ICD-9 was used to code death causes from 1979 through 1998. ICD-9 codes and comparability ratios are included below for comparison to pre-1999 mortality data. ICD-9-CM is still is use for hospital and emergency department diagnoses and procedures.

A full list of ICD codes is available at http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/.


Cause of Death ICD-9 Codes ICD-10 Codes Comparability Ratio Standard Error Note
1 Diseases of the circulatory system 390-434, 436-459 I00-I99 0.7138 0.0244
2 Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy 761 P01 1.0295 0.0138
3 Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes 762 P02 1.0470 0.0128
4 Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified 765 P07 1.1060 0.0064
5 Intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia 768 P20-P21 1.4477 0.0599
6 Respiratory distress of newborn 769 P22 1.0257 0.0131
7 Bacterial sepsis of newborn 771.8 P36 0.9144 0.0272
8 Neonatal hemorrhage 772 P50-P52, P54 1.4369 0.0698
9 Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities 740-759 Q00-Q99 0.9064 0.0057 Birth defects/ Congenital anomalies
10 Sudden infant death syndrome 798.0 R95 1.0362 0.0040 SIDS
11 All other diseases and external causes -- Residual -- --


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71 Rankable Causes of Infant Death List of 71 Rankable Causes of Infant Death
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130 Causes of Infant Death List of 130 Selected Causes of Infant Death
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Center for Health Statistics, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360, Phone: 609-984-6703, Fax: 609-984-7633, e-mail: chs@doh.state.nj.us, Web: www.nj.gov/health/chs
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Content updated: Wed, 2 May 2012 04:01:14 EDT