Index�@ Back�@ Next

---

IV. Analyses by causes of death

1. Mortality probabilities by cause of death

Mortality probability by cause of death means the probability that a person at specific ages will die of specified cause of death in the future.
As for leading causes of death in 2002, the probability of malignant neoplasms is the largest for both sexes at age 0, followed by heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia.
The mortality probability of three leading causes of death (i.e. malignant neoplasms, heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases) accounts for over 50 percent for both sexes.

Table 6. Mortality probabilities by causes of death


2. Potential years of life lost

Assuming that a certain cause of death is eliminated, a person, who should have died of the cause, would die of another cause afterwards. As a result, one's life span would be extended. This extension, which is called the potential years of life lost of the cause, can be regarded as one's life lost by that cause of death, and it enables us to estimate the effect of that cause to one's life expectancy.
In 2002, the ranking of causes by potential years of life lost at age 0 and 65 is the 1st malignant neoplasms, the 2nd heart diseases, the 3rd cerebrovascular diseases, and the 4th pneumonia for both sexes.
Meanwhile, at age 80, malignant neoplasms shows the longest years for male and heart diseases for female.
Potential years of life lost by the three leading causes of death are 8.81 years for male and 7.96 years for female at age 0, 7.15 years for male and 6.65 years for female at age 65, 4.44 years for male and 5.02 years for female at age 80.

Table 7. Potential years of life lost

---

Index�@ Back�@ Next