Analysis of overall and externally-based mortality in children under 15 years of age in Uruguay, 2019-2023

Abstract

Introduction: most available mortality data in children are restricted to those under 1 year of age.
Objectives: analyze mortality in children <15 years of age over the last 5 years. Explore the frequency and mechanisms of external causes.
Methodology: a descriptive epidemiological study of children <15 years of age who died in Uruguay between 2019 and 2023. Mortality databases from the Ministry of Health, population estimates from the National Statistics Institute, and the ICD-10 classification were used. Rates per 10,000 with 95% CI were calculated for three age groups: (A) <1 year, (B) 1 to <5 years, and (C) 5 to <15 years.
Results: between 2019 and 2023, there were 1,727 deaths in children under 15 years of age; 984 (57.0%) were male. There were 1,125 (65.1%) in group A, 227 (13.1%) in group B, and 375 (21.7%) in group C. The mortality rate in A was 65.5 (61.8–69.5), in B was 2.4 (2.1–2.7), and in C was 1.6 (1.5–1.8) %. The three primary causes in A were neonatal conditions 533 (47.4%), malformations 313 (27.8%), and R codes 128 (11.4%). In B: external causes 51 (22.5%), nervous system diseases 36 (15.9%), and malformations 34 (15.0%). In C: external causes 126 (33.6%), neoplasms 79 (21.1%), and nervous system diseases 63 (16.8%). Of the total deaths, 209 (12.1%) were due to external causes: falls and miscellaneous accidents 40.2%, transport accidents 30.3%, assaults/violence 14.8%, suicide 8.1%, side effects of treatments 3.8%, and others 2.9%.
Conclusions: we have described mortality rates and causes for children <15 years of age. After the first year of life, external causes are the primary cause of death.