This category includes rheumatism, skin ulcers and bone disorders such as osteoporosis. The largest sub-category in this group is, itself, a grouping of other causes and so a quite disparate set of underlying causes all related to similar organs are included here.

Sheffield and Southend stand out clearly with the highest rates, with Bristol not far behind. If we compare this map to Map 91, of falls, we can see that these places have low SMRs for that cause. In contrast, rates in Scotland, Wales and around much of the coasts are especially low. The group of diseases in this category is very heterogeneous, however, which may account for the unclear picture.

This is a residual category that includes a large number of causes of death. Rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis and scoliosis are painful progressive diseases that limit mobility. Diseases of the skin and connective tissue include cellulitis, skin ulcers, abscesses and psoriasis. These disorders are diseases that kill in old age: females account for three quarters of deaths from this category.

It is likely that the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will have caused fewer deaths to be classified as due to falls. We can only speculate that the high rates here are where, with a death following a fall, more doctors in these places have entered osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis in part I of the death certificate rather than part II.