“Ten Leading Causes of Death in America”
It is always of interest to know the top causes of death, such that we can try to avoid them. Also. please remember that just a month ago, medical errors were listed as the third leading cause of death in the U.S. These errors reportedly claim 251,000 lives every year, more than respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimer’s. According to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics published in National Vital Statistics Reports, the death rate in the United States hit an all-time low in 2014. The infant mortality rate fell to a historically low value. The top 10 causes of death in 2014 were as follows: 1) Heart disease (23.4% of all deaths), 2) Cancer (22.5%), 3) Chronic lower respiratory diseases (5.6%), 4) Accidents (unintentional injuries) (5.2%), 5) Cerebrovascular diseases (strokes) (5.1%), 6) Alzheimer’s disease (3.6%), 7) Diabetes mellitus (2.9%), 8) Influenza and pneumonias (2.1%), 9) Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney diseases) (1.8%), and 10) Intentional self-harm (suicide, 1.6%). Added together, these 10 causes of death accounted for 74% of all deaths in the United States and they are unchanged from the top 10 causes of death in 2013. Overall, life expectancy at birth has not changed since 2012, at 78.8 years.
Download the complete article (a PDF).
