Estimating the prevalence of chronic conditions in children who die in England, Scotland and Wales: a data linkage cohort study

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the proportion of children who die with chronic conditions and examine time trends in childhood deaths involving chronic conditions. DESIGN: Retrospective population-based death cohort study using linked death certificates and hospital discharge records. SETTING: England, Scotland and Wales. PARTICIPANTS: All resident children who died aged 1-18 years between 2001 and 2010. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the proportion of children who died with chronic conditions according to age group and type of chronic condition. The secondary outcome was trends over time in mortality rates involving chronic conditions per 100,000 children and trends in the proportion of children who died with chronic conditions. RESULTS: 65.4% of 23,438 children (95% CI 64.8%, 66.0%) died with…