[Ill-defined causes of death and unattended deaths, Brazil, 2003].

Background: We studied the distribution of deaths from ill-defined causes that occurred in Brazil during 2003, from which was identified the proportion of unattended deaths.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Mortality Information System, coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Causes of death included in "Chapter XVIII - Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not classified elsewhere" of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth revision, were considered ill-defined, among which the category R98 identified "unattended deaths".

Results: In Brazil during 2003 the underlying causes of 13.3% of deaths were included in the Chapter of ill-defined causes, and the highest proportions of these deaths occurred in the Northeast and North Regions. Considering the total deaths from ill-defined causes, 53 % correspond to unattended deaths. This proportion increased to over 70% in the states of Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Bahia, Paraíba and Alagoas.

Conclusion: Due to the decentralized structure of data collection in the country, we believe that the municipalities bear the major responsibility, followed by the states, for upgrading the quality of mortality statistics.