ArticleEuropean journal of public health2022
Redistribution of garbage codes to underlying causes of death: a systematic analysis on Italy and a comparison with most populous Western European countries based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.
Article in European journal of public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 17 papers.
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17 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Cancer mortality in Europe in 2020, and an overview of trends since 1990.European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP) · 2026Article
- Regional and educational disparities in inaccurately coded deaths in Sweden, 1997-2023: a systematic analysis.Population health metrics · 2026Article
- Pruritus in Europe's Aging Populations: Regional and National Patterns, 1990-2023, and Forecasts to 2050: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2026Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of early-onset and late-onset colorectal cancer attributable to high body-mass index from 1990 to 2021: a trend analysis and forecasts up to 2040 based on the global burden of disease study 2021.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Mortality from Pleural and Lung Cancer in Railway Maintenance Workers.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The importance of redistribution process of ill-defined deaths in national mortality database.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Reallocating diabetes-related garbage codes to improve mortality estimates: a case study in Weifang, China.Population health metrics · 2025Article
- Estimating years of life lost due to premature mortality at regional level in France in 2017, using a probabilistic redistribution approach.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Understanding Cardiovascular Mortality: A Deep Dive Into the Differences Between GBD and CDC WONDER.Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes · 2025Article
- Disease Burden of 30 Cancer Groups in Taiwan from 2000 to 2021.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2025Article
- Assessment of the Quality of Cause-of-Death Data in Serbia for 2005-2019 Vital Statistics Performance Index Estimation.Iranian journal of public health · 2024Article
- Effects of Limbs' Spasticity on Spinopelvic Alignment in Post-Stroke Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Age- and cause-specific contributions to increase in life expectancy at birth in Korea, 2000-2019: a descriptive study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Territorial gaps on quality of causes of death statistics over the last forty years in Spain.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Investigating years of life lost in Belgium, 2004-2019: A comprehensive analysis using a probabilistic redistribution approach.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe proportion of reported causes of death (CoDs) that are not underlying causes can be relevant even in high-income countries and seriously affect health planning. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study identifies these 'garbage codes' (GCs) and redistributes them to underlying causes using evidence-based algorithms. Planners relying on vital registration data will find discrepancies with GBD estimates. We analyse these discrepancies, through the analysis of GCs and their redistribution.
methodsWe explored the case of Italy, at national and regional level, and compared it to nine other Western European countries with similar population sizes. We analysed differences between official data and GBD 2019 estimates, for the period 1990-2017 for which we had vital registration data for most select countries.
resultsIn Italy, in 2017, 33 000 deaths were attributed to unspecified type of stroke and 15 000 to unspecified type of diabetes, these making a fourth of the overall garbage. Significant heterogeneity exists on the overall proportion of GCs, type (unspecified or impossible underlying causes), and size of specific GCs among regions in Italy, and among the select countries. We found no pattern between level of garbage and relevance of specific GCs. Even locations performing below average show interesting lower levels for certain GCs if compared to better performing countries.
conclusionsThis systematic analysis suggests the heterogeneity in GC levels and causes, paired with a more detailed analysis of local practices, strengths and weaknesses, could be a positive element in a strategy for the reduction of GCs in Italy.
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