OBJECTIVETo analyze the mortality and the constitution of total deaths of infectious disease, maternal and perinatal diseases, nutritional deficiencies and their trends in China, 1973-2005.

METHODSThe following data collected from three national retrospective sampling surveys of death causes were used: 1973-1975 nation-wide cancer mortality survey for person years of approximately 2 513 949 310; 1990-1992 nation-wide cancer mortality survey for person years of approximately 335 213 493; 2004 - 2005 the 3rd national retrospective sampling survey of death cause for person years of approximately 142 660 482 by three age groups (0-, 15- and 60-). Based on the data, the crude death rates of ages, genders and diseases were calculated. The standardized death rates were calculated using the population census data of 2000.

RESULTSThe total number of deaths caused by infectious diseases, maternal and perinatal diseases, and nutritional deficiencies were 4 913 521, 284 811 and 47 161 in 1973-1975, 1990-1992 and 2004-2005, respectively; the crude death rates were 195.45, 84.96, 33.06 per 100 000, and the standardized death rates were 158.71, 70.76, 27.98 per 100 000. Total number of deaths caused by the above diseases in urban and rural areas were 11 752 and 35 409 during 2004 - 2005, respectively; the crude death rates were 24.69 and 37.35 per 100 000, and the standardized death rates were 19.62 and 32.12 per 100 000. There were 26 176 deaths due to the above diseases in male and 20 985 in female; the crude death rates were 35.87 and 30.11 per 100 000; the standardized death rates were 35.23 and 26.65 per 100 000. The number of deaths reported in different regions were 13 286, 13 922 and 19 953 in eastern, central and western areas respectively; the crude death rates were 25.28, 27.97 and 49.48 deaths per 100 000; the standardized death rates were 21.33, 28.10 and 45.98 per 100 000. The top three causes of death were pneumonia, tuberculosis and virus hepatitis, and the case numbers were 14 265, 8537 and 5771, respectively. The death rates were 10.00, 5.98 and 4.05 per 100 000, the standardized death rates were 8.88, 5.46 and 3.74 per 100 000. The percentage of total deaths (868 484 cases) of infectious diseases, maternal and perinatal diseases, and nutritional deficiencies was 5.43%, which was decreased 80.52% from 1973 - 1975 (27.87%, 4 913 521/17 629 350).

CONCLUSIONSThe mortality of infectious diseases, maternal and perinatal diseases, and nutritional deficiencies were generally consistent with long-term decreasing trends observed, the mortality in urban area was greater than that in rural area, the rate in male was greater than that in female, the rate in western region was greater than that in central and eastern regions.