Underlying cause of death in incident unprovoked seizures in the urban community of Northern Manhattan, New York City

Abstract Background “Pneumonia and influenza” are the third leading cause of death in New York City. Since 2012, pneumonia and influenza have been the only infectious diseases listed among the 10 leading causes of death in NYC. Most pneumonia and influenza deaths in NYC list pneumonia as the underlying cause of death, not influenza. We therefore analyzed death certificate data for pneumonia in NYC during 1999–2015. Methods We calculated annualized pneumonia death rates (overall and by sociodemographic subgroup) and examined the etiologic agent listed. Results There were 41 400 pneumonia deaths during the study period, corresponding to an annualized age-adjusted death rate of 29.7 per 100 000 population. Approximately 17.5% of pneumonia deaths specified an etiologic agent. Age-adjusted pneumonia death rate declined over the study period and across each borough. Males had an annualized age-adjusted pneumonia death rate 1.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5–1.5) times that of females. Non-Hispanic blacks had an annualized age-adjusted pneumonia death rate 1.2 (95% CI, 1.2–1.2) times that of non-Hispanic whites. The annualized pneumonia death rate increased with age group above 5–24 years and neighborhood-level poverty. Staten Island had an annualized age-adjusted pneumonia death rate 1.3 (95% CI, 1.2–1.3) times that of Manhattan. In the multivariable analysis, pneumonia deaths were more likely to occur among males, non-Hispanic blacks, persons aged ≥65 years, residents of neighborhoods with higher poverty levels, and in Staten Island. Conclusions While the accuracy of death certificates is unknown, investigation is needed to understand why certain populations are disproportionately recorded as dying from pneumonia in NYC.

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Sensitivity and Positive Predictive Value of Death Certificate Data Among Deaths Caused by Legionnaires’ Disease in New York City, 2008-2013

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354918782494 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 133 (5) ◽

pp. 578-583

Author(s):

Olivia C. Tran ◽

David E. Lucero ◽

Sharon Balter ◽

Robert Fitzhenry ◽

Mary Huynh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Positive Predictive Value ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

York City ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Death Certificate ◽

Death Certificates ◽

Legionnaires Disease ◽

Underlying Cause Of Death

Objectives: Death certificates are an important source of information for understanding life expectancy and mortality trends; however, misclassification and incompleteness are common. Although deaths caused by Legionnaires’ disease might be identified through routine surveillance, it is unclear whether Legionnaires’ disease is accurately recorded on death certificates. We evaluated the sensitivity and positive predictive value of death certificates for identifying deaths from confirmed or suspected Legionnaires’ disease among adults in New York City. Methods: We deterministically matched death certificate data from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2013, on New York City residents aged ≥18 years to surveillance data on confirmed and suspected cases of Legionnaires’ disease from January 1, 2008, through October 31, 2013. We estimated sensitivity and positive predictive value by using surveillance data as the reference standard. Results: Of 294 755 deaths, 27 (<0.01%) had an underlying cause of death of Legionnaires’ disease and 33 (0.01%) had any mention of Legionnaires’ disease on the death certificate. Of 1211 confirmed or suspected cases of Legionnaires’ disease, 267 (22.0%) matched to a record in the death certificate data set. The sensitivity of death certificates that listed Legionnaires’ disease as the underlying cause of death was 17.3% and of death certificates with any mention of Legionnaires’ disease was 20.9%. The positive predictive value of death certificates that listed Legionnaires’ disease as the underlying cause of death was 70.4% and of death certificates with any mention of Legionnaires’ disease was 69.7%. Conclusions: Death certificates had limited ability to identify confirmed or suspected deaths with Legionnaires’ disease. Provider trainings on the diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease, particularly hospital settings, and proper completion of death certificates might improve the sensitivity of death certificates for people who die of Legionnaires’ disease.

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Erroneous Reporting of Deaths Attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza at 2 New York City Teaching Hospitals, 2013-2014

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354920953209 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 135 (6) ◽

pp. 796-804

Author(s):

Tyler S. Brown ◽

Kathryn Dubowski ◽

Madia Plitt ◽

Laura Falci ◽

Erica Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

York City ◽

Teaching Hospitals ◽

Systematic Bias ◽

Medical Provider ◽

Extrinsic Factors ◽

Location Of Death ◽

Underlying Cause Of Death

Objectives Cause-of-death information, reported by frontline clinicians after a patient’s death, is an irreplaceable source of public health data. However, systematic bias in cause-of-death reporting can lead to over- or underestimation of deaths attributable to different causes. New York City consistently reports higher rates of deaths attributable to pneumonia and influenza than many other US cities and the country. We investigated systematic erroneous reporting as a possible explanation for this phenomenon. Methods We reviewed all deaths from 2 New York City hospitals during 2013-2014 in which pneumonia or influenza was reported as the underlying cause of death (n = 188), and we examined the association between erroneous reporting and multiple extrinsic factors that may influence cause-of-death reporting (patient demographic characteristics and medical comorbidities, time and hospital location of death, type of medical provider reporting the death, and availability of certain diagnostic information). Results Pneumonia was erroneously reported as the underlying cause of death in 163 (86.7%) reports. We identified heart disease and dementia as the more likely underlying cause of death in 21% and 17% of erroneously reported deaths attributable to pneumonia, respectively. We found no significant association between erroneous reporting and the multiple extrinsic factors examined. Conclusions Our results underscore how erroneous reporting of 1 condition can lead to underreporting of other causes of death. Misapplication or misunderstanding of procedures by medical providers, rather than extrinsic factors influencing the reporting process, are key drivers of erroneous cause-of-death reporting.

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Estimating the incidence of first unprovoked seizure and newly diagnosed epilepsy in the low-income urban community of Northern Manhattan, New York City

Epilepsia ◽

10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01564.x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 49 (8) ◽

pp. 1431-1439 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Emma K.T. Benn ◽

W. Allen Hauser ◽

Tina Shih ◽

Linda Leary ◽

Emilia Bagiella ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Low Income ◽

York City ◽

Urban Community ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Unprovoked Seizure

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An Intervention to Improve Cause-of-Death Reporting in New York City Hospitals, 2009–2010

Preventing Chronic Disease ◽

10.5888/pcd9.120071 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Ann Madsen ◽

Sayone Thihalolipavan ◽

Gil Maduro ◽

Regina Zimmerman ◽

Ram Koppaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

York City

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“A Lot of Investment, a Lot of Roots”

10.5406/illinois/9780252038181.003.0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Roberta Gold

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Urban Renewal ◽

York City ◽

Urban Community ◽

Social Bonds ◽

Community Rights ◽

Old Left

This chapter examines two neighborhood-based movements that challenged redevelopment: Morningside Heights and Cooper Square. It considers how the two areas became policy battlegrounds in the early 1960s as tenants mounted a second round of struggle against urban renewal schemes in New York City. Tenant mobilizations in both areas shared some features with the strike movement, namely tangible contributions from Old Left activists and complicated relations among left and liberal players. But Cooper Square and Morningside Heights tenants employed different ideological tools. They articulated a concept of urban community rights based on social bonds among diverse neighbors. The chapter shows how tenants' assertion of community rights against owners' prerogative challenged a pillar of postwar American ideology, namely, citizenship based on homeownership.

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