Abstract:Objective：Analyzing the fundamental causes of death among elderly hospitalized patients in a tertiary hospital in Anhui Province，in order to provide a theoretical basis for building a disease prevention and treatment system for the elderly and improving life expectancy. Method：Descriptive research was used to retrospectively analyze the distribution characteristics and fundamental cause of death of elderly inpatients in a tertiary hospital in Anhui province from 2014 to 2021. Results：From 2014 to 2021，there were 4，175 inpatients aged over 60 years old who died. The sex ratio of men and women was 1.90∶1. The number of male deaths in all age groups was more than that of female deaths.The median age of death was 76（69-82）years old，and there was no statistically significant difference in age of death between males and females（Z=-1.622，P=0.105）.The number of deaths in winter is the highest，followed by autumn，summer，and spring. Pareto plot analysis showed that the main root causes of death were circulatory system diseases（1，513 people，36.24%），tumors（1，350 people，32.34%），and injuries（337 people，8.07%）. The first cause of death varies among different age groups，with tumors being the first cause of death between 60to 74 years old，and circulatory system diseases being the first cause of deathwith ≥ 75 years old. As age increases，the proportion of circulatory and respiratory diseases in the root causes of death in the elderly gradually increases，while the proportion of tumors and injuries gradually decreases. Conclusion：The fundamental causes of death among elderly hospitalized patients in a tertiary hospital in Anhui province are relatively concentrated，mainly including circulatory system diseases，tumors，and injuries. The main fundamental causes of death are different in vary age groups. Hospitals can carry out targeted disease prevention，screening，and diagnosis and treatment work.