To investigate the clinical epidemiological characteristics of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in China.A multiple-center and prospective survey of the patients with MODS admitted to 37 hospitals in 11 provinces from March 2002 to January 2005.The original causes of the MODS were still severe infection, major operations, shock, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, trauma, and severe acute pancreatitis. The age of 66.1% patients was over 60 years in 1 087 patients. The total mortality of the 1 087 patients was 60.4%. With the age increased, the mortality also increased. The mortalities of the group with simple dysfunction of the brain, lung, kidney, blood, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract were higher than those of the group with the normal organ function. The mortality increased obviously with the numbers of the dysfunction organs. The methods of supportive treatment for the dysfunctional organs were more sophisticated than before. Especially the rates of administration of blood purification, parenteral alimentation, and enteral alimentation were higher.Although the methods of supportive treatment in the dysfunctional organs are more sophisticated, the mortality of the MODS was still as high as 60.4%. The number of patients with age higher than 60 years was 713 cases (66.1%), therefore how to manage senile-MODS has become a major problem. Cardiovascular system, the brain, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, lung, liver and blood were the main organs involved, and the mortality of dysfunction of cardiovascular system ranked the highest.