Which line of death certificate represents the major antecedent cause of death
International death certificate

The basis of mortality data is death certificate.
For ensuring national and international comparability, it is necessary to have a uniform and standardized system of recording and classifying deaths.
For this purpose, WHO has recommended international death certificate,
Consist of four lines: 
Line Ia: Disease or condition directly leading to death 
Line Ib: Antecedent/underlying cause 
Line Ic: Main antecedent/underlying cause 
Line II: Other significant conditions contributing to death but not related to disease/condition causing it
Example of a death cerficate: Line la: Renal failure. Line lb: Diabetic nephropathy. Line Ic: Diabetes mellitus. Line II: Hypertension
Concept of underlying cause, Line Ic is the most important line in death certificate, thus also known as ‘Essence of Death Cerficate’
la
lb
lc
ll