Certified causes of death inaccurate in fifth of cases, study suggests
Cancer and heart disease death rates may be higher than thought and lung deaths lower, according to ONS findings
James Meikle
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 December 2012 12.31 EST
The causes of death certified by doctors may be inaccurate in more than a fifth of cases, according to a study carried out for the Office of National Statistics.
Thousands more people than previously thought might be dying each year from cancer and heart and circulatory diseases such as strokes, the study suggests, while lung and other respiratory conditions might cause fewer fatalities than presently recorded in England and Wales...
