[Mortality due to violence: application of exploratory analysis techniques in a metropolitan area of southeastern Brazil, 1979-1987]. / Mortalidade por violências: aplicação de técnicas de análise exploratória em área metropolitana da região sudeste do Brasil, 1979-1987.

An exploratory analysis of gross death rates due to external reasons was carried out in the area of the "Baixada Fluminense", and in the Rio de Janeiro city, covering the 1979-1987 period. The main goal was to verify mortality trends in the area and period of time specified, in an attempt to investigate a premiss according to which violence rates have been increasing. Results obtained have shown that death rates presented tendency to a non-linear increase throughout this period. A decrease was observed from 1979 to 1983, followed by an increase, since 1984, on to a higher level.