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What are the most common causes of death?
Which diseases cause the most deaths?
What are the three leading causes of accident-related death?
The following is a list of the causes of human deaths worldwide for different years arranged by their associated mortality rates. In 2002, there were about 57 million deaths . In 2005, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), about 58 million people died. [1]
- Overview
- 1. Heart disease
- 2. Cancer
- 3. COVID-19
- 4. Accidents (unintentional injuries)
- 5. Stroke
- 6. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- 7. Alzheimer’s disease
- 8. Diabetes
- 9. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
Heart disease and cancer are the top two causes of death. Though there’s no guarantee, making healthy choices can lower your chance of being affected by these and other leading causes of death.
For over a decade, heart disease and cancer have claimed the first and second spots, respectively, as the leading causes of deaths in America. Together, the two causes are responsible for 37.5 percent of deaths in the United States.
Combined with the third most common cause of death — COVID-19 — the three diseases account for half of all deaths in the United States.
For more than 30 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collecting and examining causes of death. This information helps researchers and doctors understand if they need to address growing epidemics in healthcare.
The numbers also help them understand how preventive measures may help people live longer and healthier lives.
The top 10 causes of death in the United States account for more than 75 percent of all deaths. Learn about each of the main causes and what can be done to prevent them.
What causes heart disease?
Heart disease is a term used to describe a range of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. These conditions include: •heart arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) •coronary artery disease (blocked arteries) •heart defects
Tips for prevention
Lifestyle changes can prevent many cases of heart disease, such as the following: •Quit smoking. Here are some apps to help you. •Eat a healthier diet. •Exercise at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week. •Maintain a healthy weight.
Number of deaths per year: 605,213
Percent of total deaths: 17 percent
More common among: Each type of cancer has a specific set of risk factors, but several risk factors are common among multiple types. These risk factors include:
•people of a certain age
•people who use tobacco and alcohol
•people exposed to radiation and a lot of sunlight
Number of deaths per year: 416,893
Percent of total deaths: 12 percent
What causes accidents?
Accidents lead to more than 28 million emergency room visits each year. The three leading causes of accident-related death are: •unintentional falls •motor vehicle traffic deaths •unintentional poisoning deaths
Tips for prevention
Unintentional injuries may be the result of carelessness or a lack of careful action. Be aware of your surroundings. Take all proper precautions to prevent accidents or injuries. If you hurt yourself, seek emergency medical treatment to prevent serious complications.
What causes a stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood flow to your brain is cut off. Without oxygen-rich blood flowing to your brain, your brain cells begin to die in a matter of minutes. The blood flow can be stopped because of a blocked artery or bleeding in the brain. This bleeding may be from an aneurysm or a broken blood vessel.
Tips for prevention
Many of the same lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk for heart disease can also reduce your risk for stroke: •Maintain a healthy weight. Exercise more and eat healthier. •Manage your blood pressure. •Stop smoking. Drink only in moderation. •Manage your blood sugar level and diabetes. •Treat any underlying heart defects or diseases.
What causes respiratory diseases?
This group of diseases includes: •chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) •emphysema •asthma •pulmonary hypertension Each of these conditions or diseases prevents your lungs from working properly. They can also cause scarring and damage to the lung’s tissues.
Tips for prevention
Tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure are the primary factors in the development of these diseases. Quit smoking. Limit your exposure to other people’s smoke to reduce your risk. See what readers had to say when asked for real and practical tips to help you quit smoking.
What causes Alzheimer’s disease?
The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unclear, but researchers and doctors believe a combination of a person’s genes, lifestyle, and environment impacts the brain over time. Some of these changes occur years, even decades, before the first symptoms appear.
Tips for prevention
While you can’t control your age or genetics, which are two of the most common risk factors for this disease, you can control certain lifestyle factors that may increase your risk for it by doing the following: •Exercise more often than not. Remain physically active throughout your life. •Eat a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and reduced sugar. •Treat and monitor any other chronic diseases you have. •Keep your brain active with stimulating tasks like conversation, puzzles, and reading.
Number of deaths per year: 103,294
Percent of total deaths: 3 percent
More common among:
Type 1 diabetes is more commonly diagnosed in:
•people with a family history of the disease, or a specific gene that increases the risk
•children between the ages of 4 and 7
What causes liver disease?
Both liver disease and cirrhosis are the result of liver damage.
Tips for prevention
If you feel you’re misusing alcohol, see a healthcare provider. They can help you get treatment. This may include a combination of: •detox •therapy •support groups •rehab The longer and more you drink, the greater your risk for developing liver disease or cirrhosis. Likewise, if you receive a diagnosis of hepatitis, follow your doctor’s instructions in treating the condition to prevent unnecessary liver damage.
- Ben Wittstein
- Atherosclerotic heart disease. Deaths due to this cause: 3,396,232. Deaths per 100,000 people: 62.5. Percent of total deaths: 7.56% Cause is most prevalent in: New York (117.92 deaths per 100,000 people)
- Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms. Deaths due to this cause: 2,799,377. Deaths per 100,000 people: 51.5. Percent of total deaths: 6.23%
- Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified. Deaths due to this cause: 2,574,756. Deaths per 100,000 people: 47.4. Percent of total deaths: 5.73% Cause is most prevalent in: Arkansas (106.9 deaths per 100,000 people)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified. Deaths due to this cause: 1,838,159. Deaths per 100,000 people: 33.8. Percent of total deaths: 4.09% Cause is most prevalent in: West Virginia (60.07 deaths per 100,000 people)
Oct 4, 2023 · IHME - GBD (2019) See all data and research on: Causes of Death. Explore the Data. Sources & Processing. Reuse This Work. What you should know about this indicator. For each country-year the disease or injury that caused the most deaths according to the IHME - Global Burden of Disease Study (2019). Additional information about this data.
causes of death in 2020 were, in rank order: Diseases of heart; Malignant neoplasms; COVID-19; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Cerebrovascular diseases; Chronic lower respiratory
The top causes globally, in order of lives lost, are associated with three broad conditions - cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions (birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, as well as preterm birth compli...
Globally, non-communicable diseases are the most common causes of death. The chart shows what people died from globally, in 2019. Each box represents one cause, and its size is proportional to the number of deaths it caused. The most common causes of death globally — shown in blue — were from ‘non-communicable diseases’.
