[Descriptive study of suicide in Galicia, 1987]. / Estudio descriptivo do suicidio en Galicia, 1987.

Deaths caused by suicide in Galicia during 1987 are studied, in order to identify high incidence areas where further studies could be designed to define specific factors for suicide. Three hundred and three death certificates and their corresponding judicial reports in the subgroup E950-959 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) were processed. Suicide rate in Galicia was found to be 10.65 per 100,000 inhabitants, with 5,313 Years of Potential Life Lost. The suicide rate in the province of Coruña was the highest (12.79 per 100,000 inhabitants) and, within it, the Narón area reached the highest rate (35.40 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants). Male to female ratio was 3.7. Mean age at suicide was 52.8 (sigma = 18.8), the range being 14-90 years. The age distribution was concentrated at older ages, especially among women, who contributed to a higher number of deaths by suicide on sundays and first days of the week. Hanging was the method chosen in 66% of deaths. We conclude that Galicia has a high mortality due to suicide, especially in the industrial area where the economic crisis is more pronounced.

[The quality of mortality statistics. Galicia 1987]. / Aproximación a calidade das estadísticas de mortalidade. Galicia 1987.

We intend to study the reliability of the mortality statistics in Galicia (1987), comparing the basic cause of death, with that we obtain by the Autopsy Report (AR). After independently studying 90 AR, three physicians selected the basic cause of death, subsequently coded by the same team. All this persons were blind in relation with the previous certification. 41.1% of the causes of death agreed in 4 digit, 45.6% agreed in 3 digit and the 63.3% remained in the same ICD-9 group. Taking into account all the mistakes found, the 13.3% took place due to an incomplete definition, but the classification remained correct. The 10.0% due to an error in the logic sequence, the 15.6% by an error in the selection of the cause of death and, in the 20.0% there was no relationship between causes. For cardiovascular diseases, the Predictive Positive Value (PPV) was 76.9%, the Sensibility (S) was 83.0% and the Specificity (Sp) 90.9%. For the tumors, the value of the PPV and the S was 73.7% and the Sp was 92.9%. In spite of selection bias because of the method used, we think that the information produced is useful for evaluating the quality of mortality statistics in Galicia. When comparing our results with similar studies, we find an acceptable level.