Abstract: Objective To study the causes of death in elderly patients admitted to our hospital from 1996 to 2011. Methods A total of 1 162 elderly patients with their age ≥65 years were included in this study.The causes of their death were summarized by reviewing their medical records. Results The average death age of the 1 162 elderly patients was 83.3±6.5 years.The top 4 causes of death were malignant tumors,cardiovascular diseases,respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular diseases,which accounted for 41.7%,20.7%,20.4% and 6.4%,respectively.Lung cancer,ischemic heart disease,pneumonia and cerebral infarction were the leading causes of malignant tumors,cardiovascular diseases,respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular diseases.The death rate of malignant tumors was significantly lower whereas that of respiratory diseases and gastrointestinal diseases was significantly higher in patients with their age ＜80 years than in those with their age ≥80 years（P＜0.05）.No significant difference was found in the death rate of cardio- and cerebro-vascular diseases between the patients with their age ＜80 years or ≥80 years.No significant difference was found in the death rate of cardiovascular diseases although they tended to decrease.The death rate of malignant tumors and cerebrovascular diseases did no change significantly from 1996 to 2011. Conclusion Malignant tumors,cardio- and cerebro- vascular diseases and respiratory diseases are the leading causes of death in elderly male people.The death rate of malignant tumors decreases while that of respiratory diseases increases with the age of patients.The death rate of respiratory diseases tends to increase in recent years.