Tenth revision mortality rates and NIOSH Life Table Analysis

Purpose The NIOSH Life Table Analysis System for Personal Computers (PC LTAS) was recently updated to reflect changes in the newly adopted Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10). Methods Previously available only through 1998, we recently updated all reference death rate files for the United States, states and counties. These can be utilized as internal or external reference populations. Tenth revision causes of death were added after review for compatibility with PC LTAS death categories for prior ICD revisions 5 through 9. Results Several categories were revised to accommodate changes in medical nomenclature including mesothelioma, cancer of the pleura and liver, non-Hodgkinʹs lymphoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, unintentional injuries and others. U.S. mesothelioma deaths for 1998–1999 are compared to prior years. Testing of algorithms and limitations of the conversion process are discussed. Conclusion The complex conversion process and resulting algorithms for ICD codes, categories, and ICD revisions are described for two new U.S. rate files: 1960 through 2002 and 1940 through 2002. The PC LTAS may be used by researchers to conduct comparative mortality and morbidity analyses using person-time-at-risk for corresponding age, race, sex, and calendar time-specific reference mortality rates during the period 1940 through 2002.