Factors associated with unspecified and ill-defined causes of death in the State of Amazonas, Brazil, from 2006 to 2012

This study aimed to investigate factors associated with unspecified and ill-defined causes of death in the State of Amazonas (AM), Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study on 90,439 non fetal deaths of residents in AM from 2006 to 2012. The hierarchical multinomial logistic model estimated odds ratios of unspecified and ill-defined causes of death. Ill-defined and unspecified causes of death proportional mortality was, respectively, 16.6% and 9.1%. Ill-defined causes showed a decreasing trend over the years, while unspecified causes only decreased in the last two years. Unspecified causes of death were associated with residence and death outside the capital, public roads, female gender, age group 10-49 years, brown skin color and when certified by forensic doctors. Ill-defined causes of death were associated with residence and occurrence outside capital, at home, ages 40 years and older, non-whites, not being single, low schooling, under medical care and when examiner was unknown. Ill-defined and unspecified cause mortality in the State of Amazonas decreased between 2006 and 2012 in AM and was associated with space and time, demographic and socioeconomic factors and medical care at the moment of death.