N.C. OCME Annual Report 1994
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Chapter 3: Natural Deaths
Nearly fifty percent (49.5) of Medical Examiner cases investigated in 1994 proved to be natural in manner. The majority were either unattended by a physician or sudden, unexpected deaths in persons believed to be previously healthy.
Table 6 illustrates by cause the number of natural deaths investigated by the Medical Examiner System, compared to all natural deaths reported to North Carolina's Vital Records System. The State's Medical Examiners investigate a large percentage of deaths involving alcohol and "ill-defined conditions," and all cases of sudden infant death syndrome.
Table 6: 1994 North Carolina Deaths Natural Deaths by International Classification of Diseases
| Class | M.E. Cases | All Deaths* | Percent M.E. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Natural Causes | 3,937 | 58,987 | 6.7 |
| Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (001-139) | 71 | 1,913 | 3.7 |
| Neoplasms (140-239) | 141 | 14,870 | 0.9 |
| Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Disease / Immunity Disorders (240-279) | 59 | 2,188 | 2.7 |
| Diabetes Mellitus (250) | 38 | 1,598 | 2.4 |
| Mental Disorders (290-319) | 158 | 1,255 | 12.6 |
| Alcohol Psychoses (291) | 3 | 24 | 12.5 |
| Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (303) | 150 | 208 | 72.1 |
| Diseases of the Nervous System and Sense Organs (320-389) | 19 | 1,356 | 1.4 |
| Diseases of the Circulatory System (390-459) | 2,893 | 26,281 | 11.0 |
| Coronary Artherosclerosis (414.0) | 421 | 2,278 | 18.5 |
| Diseases of the Respiratory System (460-519) | 166 | 5,650 | 2.9 |
| Pneumonia and Influenza (480-487) | 78 | 2,221 | 3.5 |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease / Allied Conditions (490-496) | 62 | 2,580 | 2.4 |
| Disease of the Digestive System (520-579) | 96 | 2,184 | 4.4 |
| Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis (571) | 28 | 698 | 4.0 |
| Congenital Anomalies (740-759) | 32 | 303 | 10.6 |
| Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period (760-779) | 14 | 553 | 2.5 |
| Symptoms, Signs and Ill-Defined Conditions (780-799) | 256 | 464 | 55.2 |
| Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (798.0) | 120 | 106 | 113.2 |