all-cause mortality
Death from any cause, used as a hard clinical endpoint in cardiovascular trials to avoid adjudication bias.
Full Definition
All-cause mortality represents death from any cause and is considered the most objective and unbiased endpoint in clinical trials since it requires no adjudication or interpretation of cause of death. This endpoint eliminates potential bias in determining whether a death was cardiovascular-related or due to other causes. In cardiovascular research, all-cause mortality is often used as a primary endpoint in large outcome trials, particularly when studying high-risk populations where competing causes of death are common. While less specific than cardiovascular mortality, all-cause mortality provides the most robust assessment of overall treatment benefit or harm.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from disease-specific mortality endpoints which require cause-of-death adjudication.
In Context
- "All-cause mortality was reduced by 18% in the treatment group compared to placebo." — Primary endpoint results
- "The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality at 2 years of follow-up." — Study design