Background Overall, almost 3.8 million cases of tuberculosis were reported in the world in 1990, of which 49% were in Southeast Asia. The WHO has estimated that there are approximately 8.8 million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) each year.

Objectives To study mortality patterns among women between 12 and 49 years of age in Pakistan.

Methods DHS in Pakistan was conducted from September 2006 to February 2007. A total of 1125 adult female deaths were identified through the household questionnaires as occurring since January 2003. Verbal autopsies were successfully completed for 1062, for a response rate of 94%.

Result Most of the respondents were parents (24.9%), Brother/sister in law (19.2%) and husband (17.3%). About 91% of the respondents were present at the time of death of the deceased. Out of 1022, 103 (10.1%) death were due to Tuberculosis in women between 12 and 49 years of age. Tuberculosis was the number three cause of death in women between the ages of 12 and 19 years (10.8%), 25 to 29 years (7.3%) and 35 to 39 years (10.2%). Between the ages of 30 and 34 years tuberculosis (16%) was number two cause of death after complication of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium.

Conclusions Cancer, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases are the next most important causes of death after complication of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium among women in reproductive ages. The prevention of TB, the extension of WHO DOTS programs, and a focused effort to control TB in are matters of great urgency.