Analysis of Population Representation Among Willed Whole-Body Donors to Facilitate the Construction of a Body Donation Program in China: From the Perspective of Medical Students and Anatomists

2020 ◽  
pp. 003022282091371
Author(s):  
Hanlin Zhang ◽  
Kang Chen ◽  
Naili Wang ◽  
Di Zhang ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
...  

The body donation program of Peking Union Medical College was established in May 1999. From May 1999 to December 2017, a total of 5,576 registrants registered and 1,459 donors donated their bodies. Demographic and medical characteristics of the donors were analyzed. The top four causes of death were neoplasms, heart diseases, respiratory diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases. Age at death among donors who died of neoplasms were significantly lower than other causes of death (all p < .05), and the interval between registration and donation among donors who died of neoplasms was significantly shorter than that among donors with other causes (all p < .001). The age of donors when they registered ( p < .001) and donated ( p < .001) was significantly older than that of general Beijing population. This study may provide a guide for medical colleges or research institutions to establish or enhance their own body donation programs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-344
Author(s):  
Viorela Diaconu ◽  
Nadine Ouellette ◽  
Robert Bourbeau

AbstractThe U.S. elderly experience shorter lifespans and greater variability in age at death than their Canadian peers. In order to gain insight on the underlying factors responsible for the Canada-U.S. old-age mortality disparities, we propose a cause-of-death analysis. Accordingly, the objective of this paper is to compare levels and trends in cause-specific modal age at death (M) and standard deviation above the mode (SD(M +)) between Canada and the U.S. since the 1970s. We focus on six broad leading causes of death, namely cerebrovascular diseases, heart diseases, and four types of cancers. Country-specific M and SD(M +) estimates for each leading cause of death are calculated from P-spline smooth age-at-death distributions obtained from detailed population and cause-specific mortality data. Our results reveal similar levels and trends in M and SD(M +) for most causes in the two countries, except for breast cancer (females) and lung cancer (males), where differences are the most noticeable. In both of these instances, modal lifespans are shorter in the U.S. than in Canada and U.S. old-age mortality inequalities are greater. These differences are explained in part by the higher stratification along socioeconomic lines in the U.S. than in Canada regarding the adoption of health risk behaviours and access to medical services.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S352-S352
Author(s):  
James D Stevens ◽  
James D Stevens ◽  
Scott D Landes ◽  
Margaret A Turk

Abstract Distinct mortality trends emerge from comparisons of mean and median age at death and specific causes of death between adults with and without cerebral palsy. We compare standardized mortality odds ratios (SMORs) for 20 leading causes of death for 11,895 adults with cerebral palsy and 13,047,988 without cerebral palsy in the US between 2012 and 2016. Male and female decadents with cerebral palsy died significantly younger than male and female decadents without cerebral palsy, and were more likely to die from respiratory diseases, choking, and unknown causes. Public health and preventive care efforts should account for respiratory, swallowing, and nutrition risks, as well as mortality trends’ variation across age and biological sex. The CDC and WHO could better surveil this population’s health and mortality by disallowing certifiers from using cerebral palsy as the underlying cause of death as the practice leads to high rates of unknown causes of death.


Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Masaki Bando ◽  
Nobuyuki Miyatake ◽  
Hiroaki Kataoka ◽  
Hiroshi Kinoshita ◽  
Naoko Tanaka ◽  
...  

Objective: The proportion of elderly individuals (≥65 years old) in Japan has markedly increased. However, the definition of senility in Japan is controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes and variations in the number of deaths due to senility in Japan. Methods: Information on the number of deaths due to senility between 1995 and 2018 as well as other major causes of death was obtained from the Statistics Bureau of Japan official website. Changes and variations in the number of deaths due to senility were compared with other major causes of death in Japan. The relationships between the number of deaths due to senility and socioeconomic factors were also examined in an ecological study. Results: The number of deaths due to senility was 35.7 ± 23.2/one hundred thousand people/year during the observation period and has continued to increase. A change point was identified in 2004 by a Jointpoint regression analysis. Variations in the number of deaths due to senility, which were evaluated by a coefficient of variation, were significantly greater than those due to other major causes of death, i.e., malignant neoplasm, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and pneumonia. The number of elderly individuals (≥65 years old) (%) and medical bills per elderly subject (≥75 years old) correlated with the number of deaths due to senility. Conclusion: The number of deaths due to senility has been increasing, particularly since 2004. However, variations in the number of deaths due to senility were observed among all prefectures in Japan.


Author(s):  
Lasse Kaalby ◽  
Axel Skytthe ◽  
Karen Andersen-Ranberg ◽  
Bernard Jeune

AbstractAs most centenarians suffer from multiple diseases, they are at high risk of dying – but what do they ultimately die of? This question has scarcely been examined. We have carried out a register-based study of the causes of death (CoD) among Danish centenarians. Among 8559 centenarian deaths in the 1970–2012 period, the most common CoD was in the category of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD); at the end of the study period, this CoD accounted for one-third of the deaths in this age group. The mortality rate for CVD as an underlying CoD was more than halved during the period (from 358 to 170 per 1000 person-years). In contrast, the mortality rate for cancer remained stable during the whole period, but at a very low level (15–20 per 1000 person-years). Cancer made up a much smaller share of underlying CoDs among this age group (3–4%) than among 85–99-year-olds (15%). The mortality rate for pneumonia remained at a constant level (about 50 per 1000 person-years) of around 10% among centenarians and 5% among 85–99-year-olds. The underlying CoD groups that were reported with increasing frequency during the period were mental diseases, including dementia, which increased sevenfold; and ill-defined conditions/senility, which increased fourfold. The latter CoD group accounted for 28% of deaths among centenarians in the most recent years, and for more than one-third of deaths among semi-supercentenarians (aged 105–109). The increase in the proportion of deaths for which the CoD was listed as ill-defined conditions/senility was probably partly due to the under-diagnosis of diseases among centenarians, especially of heart diseases. However, a substantial proportion of these deaths may have been attributable to “old age” – i.e., a combination of several diseases and organ deficiencies – and not to a single underlying cause.


Author(s):  
Yao FANG

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.在當今中國遺體捐獻中,常常會出現這樣的現象,即子女反對或反悔父母生前留下的有關遺體捐獻的遺願,其最大因素是子女擔心背上“不孝”之名。本文通過徵引《論語》和《孝經》的儒家經典文獻,對“孝”的具體意義進行梳理與論證。作者認為,子女支持並完成父母捐獻遺體的遺願符合儒家孝道的核心思想,因為孝道首先意味著子女應該順從父母的意願,即便這個意願會產生爭議。當然,當父母的意願不合於“道”時,子女有諫爭的義務,但遺體捐獻顯然是符合於道的行為。According to recent statistics, the global organ shortage is particularly serious in China. Some scholars argue that filial piety, a key principle of Confucianism, is the main deterrent to organ donation in China. The same is true of whole-body donation for medical research and education. Most hospitals and medical schools in China refuse to accept bodies even when the donors have provided written consent in their wills, due to pressure from the donors’ children.In this essay, the author uses a recent case in Zhejiang Province to illustrate the difficulties faced by children in carrying out their parents’ planned body donation, even when donation is understood as a moral act. The author shows that children are dissuaded primarily by adherence to the Confucian virtue of filial piety, as keeping the body of one’s parent intact after death is viewed as a form of filial reverence. Many Confucian scholars today argue that the opportunity to save lives by donating one’s organs or body is more valuable than preserving the integrity of the dead body. However, it is not unusual for the relatives of the willing donor, particularly their children, to refuse to carry out the donor’s wishes for fear of accusations of violating the precept of filial piety.The author shows that filial piety is widely considered to epitomize the Confucian value system. According to the Confucian text The Book of Filial Piety, for example, filial piety is “a perfect virtue and all-embracing rule of conduct.” However, the question here is whether children’s fulfillment of their parents’ desire to donate their bodies is a more filial gesture than keeping their parents’ dead bodies intact. The author argues that honoring one’s parents’ wish for body donation is consistent with the Confucian emphasis on family reverence and the provision of ancestral rites for deceased parents. Body donation is an act of ren (benevolence) and yi (rightness), as it benefits medical research and thus society at large. Fulfilling this desire to help others is an appropriate way of remembering and honoring one’s parents.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 166 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.


2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (234) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poonam Singh ◽  
Naveen Phuyal ◽  
Sagar Khadka ◽  
Minani Gurung

Introduction: The study of clinical anatomy is inseparable from cadaveric dissection. However, scarcity of cadavers is observed all over the world. So, body donation is propounded and is a major source of cadavers worldwide. However, nowadays, there is a scarcity of cadavers for the body dissection in the medical course & also due to the rise in the number of medical institutions in Nepal. This research aimed to find out the knowledge of medical and nursing students at a medical college regarding human body and organ donation. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 medical and nursing students in a tertiary care hospital of Kathmandu valley. After obtaining ethical approval, a semistructured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Results: Most of the respondents, 360 (90%) knew that organs could be donated from living donors as well as cadavers. A majority of the respondents 374 (93.5%) said that bodies could be donated for educational and learning purposes. The eyes were the most commonly donated organ. One hundred seventy five (43.5%) of the respondents were motivated to donate their bodies or organs. Self-motivation followed by motivation through media by celebrities, family members, and faculties were seen among the participants. Conclusions: We need a proper voluntary body donation act to facilitate medical teaching with the proper motivation of people for this generous gift to further the knowledge and expand the field of medical science.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e035539
Author(s):  
Jiayi Jiang ◽  
Mingyi Zhang ◽  
Haojie Meng ◽  
Xiang Cui ◽  
Yuxin Yang ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo investigate the demographics and motivations of whole-body donors in China, and help suggest a solution to the problem of low body donation numbers.DesignA cross-sectional study on body donors in China. Demographic analysis of the donating information of deceased donors and in-depth interviews of potential body donors.SettingEleven districts in Nanjing, China.ParticipantsDeceased whole-body donors who had donated their bodies to the body donation receiving station of Nanjing Medical University between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2019 (n=835), and living registered whole-body donors (n=68).ResultsAmong the whole-body donor population, the numbers of males, people older than 65 years and those working as teachers, government officials, medical staff and farmers were significantly higher than those of the general Nanjing population. Donors with an education level of college or above accounted for nearly half of the deceased donors, and considered donating their bodies earlier in their lives than others. Cancer and heart disease were the major causes of death among donors. Interviews of the 68 living donors revealed the following major motivations for the decision to donate: to support medical education; to reduce their children’s funeral burden; no longer holding traditional Chinese views on life and death; influence by role models and annoyance at complex funeral ceremonies.ConclusionsOlder people, people with an education level of college or above, labourers, teachers, government officials and farmers are the major groups that donate their bodies. Although people’s motivations for donation are complex, their desire to support medical education is the most prevalent motivation. By helping focus on target groups for promotional messaging and identifying their prime motivations, this study’s findings can provide a reference for promoting body donation in China.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 286-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Young Shin ◽  
Jin Kim ◽  
Seokmin Lee ◽  
Min Sim Park ◽  
Sanghee Park ◽  
...  

This study aimed to present and analyze the causes of death in the Korean population in 2018 through an analysis of cause-of-death data from Statistics Korea, which are classified based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision and the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death. The total number of deaths was 298,820, reflecting an increase of 13,286 (4.7%) from 2017. The crude death rate was 582.5 per 100,000 population, which was an increase of 25.1 (4.5%) from 2017. The 10 leading causes of death, in order, were malignant neoplasms, heart diseases, pneumonia, cerebrovascular diseases, intentional self-harm, diabetes mellitus, liver diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer disease, and hypertensive diseases. Within the category of malignant neoplasms, the top five leading organs of involvement were the lung, liver, colon, stomach, and pancreas. Colon cancer was ranked as the third leading cause of death among malignant neoplasms. The most notable characteristics of the 2018 cause-of-death statistics were the ranking of pneumonia as the third leading cause of death, the inclusion of Alzheimer disease in the top 10 causes of death, and the exclusion of transport accidents from the 10 leading causes of death, which is a result that has not been seen since comparable statistics were first published in 1983. These changes reflect the increase of people over 65 years of age, who are vulnerable to infectious diseases.


COVID ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 751-756
Author(s):  
Enrico Grande ◽  
Giulia Marcone ◽  
Alessia Scuro ◽  
Tania Bracci ◽  
Simona Cinque ◽  
...  

Studies comparing cause-of-death patterns across countries during the COVID-19 outbreak are still lacking although such studies would contribute to the understanding of the direct and indirect effect of the virus on mortality. In this report, we compare the mortality pattern observed in Italy during the first pandemic wave (March–April 2020) with that of some European countries. We calculated cause-specific, age-standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for Spain, England, and Sweden for the two mentioned months from 2016 to 2020, using already published data. Although Italy presented the highest crude overall mortality rate (267 per 100,000 population), age-adjusted ratios showed that all-cause and COVID-19 mortality in Italy were higher than in Sweden but lower than in the other two countries. Some causes had a similar increase in 2020 compared to previous years in all countries, i.e., endocrine diseases (especially diabetes), dementia and Alzheimer’s (in general mental disorders), and hypertensive heart diseases. Conversely, respiratory diseases, in particular pneumonia and influenza, increased to a greater extent in Italy. This latter result could be, in part, related to the underreporting of COVID-19 on death certificates during the first period of the pandemic, when Italy was the first European country severely hit by the virus.


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