ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Karimi   A. (1)
Sahaf   R. (*)
Taghavi   N. (2)
Rasafiani   M. (3)
Aliakbari Kamrani   A. (4)
Khosravi   A. (5)
Emadi   N. (6)
Karimi   R. (7)






(*) “Iranian Research Center on Ageing” and “Ageing Department”, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(1) Janbazan Medical and Engineering Research Center (JMERC), Tehran, Iran
(2) Nursing Department, Nursing & Midwifery Faculty, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
(3) “Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center” and “Occupational Therapy Department”, , University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(4) “Iranian Research Center on Ageing” and “Ageing Department”, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(5) Technology and Information Management Department of Health, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
(6) Dermatology Department, Medicine Faculty, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(7) Physical Education Department, Physical Education Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence

Address: Research Center of Psychosocial Issues of Ageing, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Koodakyar Ave., Evin Blvd., Yaman Str., Chamran Highway, Tehran, Iran. Postal Code: 1985713831
Phone: +982122180083
Fax: +982122180109
robabsahaf@gmail.com

Article History

Received:  April  6, 2015
Accepted:  August 10, 2015
ePublished:  August 25, 2015

BRIEF TEXT


… [1-7] There are persons who entered wars and now they are with mild to severe injuries that might reduce their life expectancy and longevity [8, 9]. … [10-17]

There are 1005 recorded deaths among Iranian veterans between 1983 and 1999, of which 72%, 16.1%, 2.3%, and 0.8% are due to diseases, accidences, suicide, and murder, respectively. In addition, 12.1% of the deaths are due to the chemical gases, while the causes of 2.8% of the deaths are unknown [18]. … [19-21]

The aim of this study was to investigate the death causes in the adult and elderly veterans who died in 2008.

This is a descriptive study.

All dead Iranian veterans in 2008 aged 40years and more their dossiers having been presented to Item 15 Commission of Medical Commission Center of Martyrs and Veterans Foundation were studied.

At first, a list of the dead veterans between 2008 and 2012 whose dossiers had been presented to Item 15 Commission received from Medical Commission of Martyrs and Veterans Foundation, and names of the dead veterans in 2008 were extracted. Then, using computer passwords, the dossiers were selected from an e-archive and studied. The dossiers of dead persons without any identified injury percentage, lost veterans whose death certificates had been identified by the court, and female veterans (n=4) were excluded.

The required items were derived from the dossiers and then, recorded. The items included the chronological characteristics, marital status, province of residence, disability percentage, injury certification, death certification items, police report, local depositions, family information, court report, hospital dossier, and the final report of legal medicine. Death specific data was coded using ICD (version 10), and the truest code was selected as the main cause for death based on the viewpoints of the experts of medical commission. At last, data was analyzed, using SPSS 18 software.

Based on the lists of Martyrs and Veterans Foundation, there were 533319 veterans recorded up to the end of the year 2008, of whom 1963 veterans died. 1517 dossiers had been investigated, of which 1389 dossiers belonged to veterans aged 40years and more. 1385 persons (99.7%) and 4 persons were male and female, respectively. Total death ratio of the veterans was 4.67 persons per 1000 persons (Tables 1 and 2). Ten major causes of death were cardio-vascular diseases, unintentional accidences, cancers and tumors, respiratory tract diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, infectious and parasitic diseases, pulmonary infection, urinary tract diseases, nutritional and metabolic endocrine diseases, and nervous system diseases, respectively (Table 3). The causes of 143 deaths (10.3%) were unknown due to lack of any investigation. The death causes of 17 cases had been defined badly and were obscure. 665 persons (89.6%) and 31 persons (4.2%) of the dead veterans aged between 40 and 49years were married and unmarried, respectively. And marital status of 46 persons (6.2%) of them was unknown.266 persons (89.6%) and 7 persons (2.4%) of the dead veterans aged between 50 and 59years were married and unmarried, respectively. And there was no information about marital status of 24 persons (8.1%) of them. Maximum age in the group aged 60years and more was 105years and its mean value was 73.23±7.66years (Table 4). Five main causes for death in the Iranian population aged 40years and more were diseases of the circulatory system, cancers and tumors, diseases of respiratory tract, external causes (accidence, poisoning, and suicide), and infectious and parasitic diseases in a descending order (Table 5). Based on the lists of Health Ministry, there had been 247541 deaths in 2008, of which 100630 and 147718 cases had been female and male, respectively. 193 cases were not identified. Of male cases, 109837 cases (74.36%) were 40years old and more at the death time (Table 6). In the group aged 60years and more including 77.74% of the deaths, the death causes were similar with the general model for the society, except that unintentional accidence and respiratory tract diseases were replaced by each other. In the group aged between 50 and 59years including 12.94% of the deaths, the death causes were similar to the general model in 4 main and important causes, and death due to violence and suicide, which showed the 9th rank in the group aged 60years and more, reached 5th rank and gained more importance. In the group aged between 40 and 49years, there was an increase in the external causes of death including unintentional accidence, violence, and suicide, and this reached 2nd and 4th ranks playing an important role in the death among the member of the group.

There is no complete description of the veterans’ death model, till no death model for the society is available. And there is no highly accurate death list of the society. Therefore, it is impossible to compare statistically the available lists. There has been no change in the succession of death causes in USA from 2008 to 2010. And there is only one replaced cause of the death causes ranked as one the lowest ranks in 2011 [22-25]. Based on the tables 4 and 6, the first three causes of death among male veterans aged between 50 and 59years, i. e. cardiovascular diseases, cancers and tumors, and unintentional accidences forming more than 75% of deaths in the group, were highly similar to the corresponding group of the society males in ranking and rate of each death cause. There were more deaths due to cancers and violence and suicides in the society male group than the veterans group. Respiratory tract diseases and urinary tract diseases ranked as 4th and 5th causes in the state society group, respectively. Nevertheless, in the veterans group, urinary diseases and gastrointestinal diseases ranked as 4th and 5th causes, respectively.

Long term comparative studies between Iranian societies and the veterans’ society should be done.

Lack of any information about the death causes in 2008 to compare with the information of the veterans’ deaths was one of the limitations for the present study.

The veterans’ death level is lower than state mean death level. In addition, deaths due to unintentional accidences are more prevalent than deaths due to cancers and tumors.

Janbazan Medical and Engineering Research Center and Commission Center of Martyrs and Veterans Foundation are appreciated.

There is no conflict between the authors’ interests.

The study was confirmed by Ethic Committee of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Martyrs and Veterans Foundation partly funded the study.

TABLES and CHARTS

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