Objective: To evaluate the influence of the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) on tendencies of annual mortality rates, corrected and uncorrected to the ICD-9.
Methods: Starting with the causes with a significant comparability ratio, we calculated the annual ageadjusted rates from 1980 to 2004. The comparability ratio was applied to the rates for 1999-2004, obtaining the corrected series for the whole period. This series was then compared with the uncorrected series using joinpoint regression.
Results: Mortality decreased between 1999 and 2004. Differences were found in blood diseases, hypertensive diseases, cancer of illdefined sites, respiratory insufficiency, and myelodysplastic syndrome.
Conclusions: The tendency of the main causes of mortality has been largely unaffected by the revisions in the ICD-10, except in infrequent or less specific diseases.