Dying at home in Belgium: a descriptive GP interview study

Table 2 Illness characteristics of deaths occurring non-suddenly at home*

Variable†	N = 205	%
Main diagnosis
Cancer	122	60
Cerebral vascular accident	18	9
Heart failure	19	9
Old age	6	3
Dementia	9	4
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	11	6
Organ failure	7	3
Other	11	6
(Occurrence of) Comorbidities ‡
None	38	19
One or more	167	81
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	49	24
Heart complaints	70	34
Diabetes	20	10
Hypertension	51	25
Joint arthritis	38	18
Other	180	88
Cause of death
Cancer	118	58
Cardiovascular disease	26	13
Pulmonary (respiratory) disease	16	8
Nervous system disease	14	7
Other/unknown	25	12
When did illness start?
< 1 month before death	21	10
1-6 months before death	70	34
> 6 months before death	114	56
When was patient diagnosed?
< 1 month before death	21	10
1-6 months before death	38	19
> 6 months before death	142	71

* Own home or home of a relative
† Missing answers: for Main diagnoses n = 2, for Cause of death n = 6, for Duration of illness until death n = 4, for Period until death after onset of diagnose n = 4
‡ Multiple answers possible