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. 2021 May 5;31(5):356-360.
doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20200057. Epub 2020 Jun 13.

Epidemiology of Food Choking Deaths in Japan: Time Trends and Regional Variations

Yuta Taniguchi  1 , Masao Iwagami  2   3 , Nobuo Sakata  2   3 , Taeko Watanabe  2   3 , Kazuhiro Abe  4 , Nanako Tamiya  2   3
Affiliations

Epidemiology of Food Choking Deaths in Japan: Time Trends and Regional Variations

Yuta Taniguchi et al. J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Background: With increasing age globally, more people may become vulnerable to food choking. We investigated the nationwide epidemiology of food choking deaths in Japan.

Methods: Using Japanese Vital Statistics death data between 2006 and 2016, we identified food choking deaths based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases code W79 (Inhalation and ingestion of food causing obstruction of respiratory tract) as a primary diagnosis. We assessed the demographics of people with food choking deaths; temporal trends of food choking deaths by the year (overall and by age group), the day of year; and prefecture variations.

Results: Overall, 52,366 people experienced food choking deaths (median age, 82 years, 53% were male, and 57% occurred at home). The highest numbers occurred January 1-3, and were lowest in June. Despite a stable total number of cases at around 4,000 yearly, from 2006 to 2016 the incidence proportion declined from 16.2 to 12.1 per 100,000 population among people aged 75-84 years. Among people ≥85 years, the incidence proportion peaked at 53.5 in 2008 and decreased to 43.6 in 2016. The number of food choking deaths varied by prefecture.

Conclusions: There are temporal and regional variations of food choking deaths in Japan, possibly due to the consumption of Japanese rice cake (mochi), particularly over the New Year's holiday.

Keywords: Japan; airway obstruction; epidemiology; food suffocation; older people.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Annual trends in the number of food choking deaths in Japan between 2006 and 2016, overall and by age group
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Annual trends in the incidence proportion of food choking deaths in Japan between 2006 and 2016, overall and by age group
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Temporal trend in the monthly number of food choking deaths in Japan (2006 through 2016 data combined)
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Geographic variations in the incidence proportion of food choking deaths. Note: We calculated the standardized mortality ratios (SMR) by dividing the average annual number of food choking deaths in each prefecture from 2006 to 2016 by the total expected deaths using the age distribution of the population of Japan in 2011.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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