title: Trends in gastroenteritis-associated mortality in the United States, 1985-2005: variations by ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trends in gastroenteritis-associated mortality are changing over time with development of antibiotic resistant strains of certain pathogens, improved diagnostic methods, and changing healthcare. In 1999, ICD-10 coding was introduced for mortality records which can also affect trends. We assess trends in gastroenteritis-associated mortality and changes associated with coding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Trends in gastroenteritis-associated mortality rates in the United States were examined using the National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause-of-Death Mortality databases for 1985-2005. All deaths with the underlying cause or any contributing cause included gastroenteritis were included. Cases were selected based on ICD9 (pre-1999) and ICD10 (1999-2005) codes and all analyses were stratified by ICD usage. Annual trends in age adjusted mortality rates were assessed using linear regression spline analysis. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Poisson regression adjusted for age group, sex, race, and region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were a total of 190,674 deaths related to gastroenteritis in the U.S. from 1985-2005 with an average of 9,080 per year. During this time the percent of deaths related to gastroenteritis more than tripled, increasing from 0.25% to 0.80% of all deaths. Though the time periods varied in length, we demonstrate a significant increase in slope from a 0.0054% annual increase during the period 1985-1998, when ICD-9 coding was used, to a 0.0550% annual increase during 1999-2005, when ICD-10 coding was used. For both time periods, the oldest age group (75+ years) demonstrated the highest risk of death due to gastroenteritis. Additionally, males demonstrated higher risk than females and blacks were at higher risk than whites for death due to gastroenteritis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This analysis demonstrates the public health burden of gastroenteritis-associated mortality in the United States and changes in trends due to change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding. The overall rate of gastroenteritis-associated mortality has more than tripled over the 21-year period from 1985 to 2005 and the primary burden of deaths due to gastroenteritis is in the elderly population.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. jjagai2@uic.edu.|Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Public Health Division, Epidemiology Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. jjagai2@uic.edu.
authors.forename: Jyotsna S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jagai
authors.affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health , Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. genee@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Genee S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Research Cores Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. schmid.judy@epa.gov.
authors.forename: Judith E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Public Health Division, Epidemiology Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. wade.tim@epa.gov.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wade
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000145:classification* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American