TLDR
Most people who died from measles had serious breathing or brain problems. Younger children usually died from breathing problems, while older children more often had brain-related complications.
Summary
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1 Study Aim
The study aimed to describe how people died from measles between 1964 and 1971. The authors examined which complications were listed, how causes differed by age, and how often existing illnesses were present. The study sought to show which measles complications were most closely linked with death at different ages.
2 Study Design
The research used a retrospective review (looking back at existing records) of 454 death certificates listing measles as the cause. These certificates represented 35.4% of all recorded measles deaths from 1964 through 1971. The authors compared listed causes across age groups. They also recorded underlying disease (an illness already present when death occurred), including physical or mental disability. The researchers reviewed death records to compare fatal measles complications among different ages.
3 Findings
The study reports that respiratory complications (breathing problems) or neurologic complications (problems involving the nervous system) caused nearly 90% of reviewed deaths. Younger children most often died from respiratory problems. Among 10- to 14-year-olds, encephalitis (brain inflammation) and other neurologic sequelae (lasting nervous-system effects) accounted for a larger share. Nearly 17% had an underlying disease, and this proportion increased with age. Most of these individuals had physical or mental disabilities. The paper reports no specific recommendations. Measles deaths mainly followed breathing or nervous-system complications, with the pattern changing as children grew older.