The aim of the paper is to use national data on multiple
causes of death to answer the question of whether diabetes mortality
was increasing in South Africa in the late 1990s to mid-2000s. The
study is based on national vital statistics data on causes of death in
South Africa for the period 1997 to 2005, amounting to close to 4,2
million records. For diabetes-related mortality, the relevant ICD-10
codes (E10 to E14) were used in extracting data on diabetes as an
underlying cause of death and as a multiple cause of death. The
data were broken down by year of death, sex and age groups. These
data were subsequently used in further statistical analysis. For
males, the age-standardised death rate for diabetes as underlying
cause increased from 15,35 per 100 000 in 1997 to 26,67 per
100 000 in 2005 and the difference is statistically significant
according to the z-test for comparison of rates (p< 0. 05). For
females, the same rates increased from 21,55 per 100 000 in 1997
to 38,0 per 100 000 in 2005. For males, the age-standardised death
rate for diabetes as multiple cause increased from 17,21 per 100 000
in 1997 to 29,75 per 100 000 in 2005 and the difference is also
statistically significant. For females, the same multiple cause rates
increased from 23,31 per 100 000 in 1997 to 42,72 per 100 000 in
2005. This rapid increase in diabetes-related mortality is discussed in
the light of the limited data available on diabetes prevalence in South
Africa.