Life’s Biggest Threats: Top 10 Causes of Death in the U.S.

The life expectancy of the U.S. population in 2023 reached 78.4 years an increase of nearly a full year from 77.5 years in 2022. Women continued to outlive men, with an average life expectancy of 81 years, compared to 78 years for men. Death rates also fell in 2023.

3.1 million deaths were registered in the US, 189,000 fewer than in 2022. This amounts to 751 deaths in every 100,00 people.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention has announced the top ten killer diseases in the United States in 2023. Cancer and heart disease have emerged as the top killer diseases

Genetics, lifestyle, and habits are major determining factors in the life span of individuals. The common diseases across the world that affect people are cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

The CDC reports ten commonest causes of death that accounted for nearly 71 percent of total deaths among US residents in 2023. They are

1. Heart Disease

Heart attacks account for 22 percent of deaths as opposed to 21.4 percent in 2022.

2. Cancer

The only cause to show an increase from the past year amounting to 5000 deaths in 2023 compared to 2022.

3. Accidents

7.2 percent succumbed to unintentional injuries resulting in drug overdoses, car accidents, and falls

4. Cerebrovascular diseases

It is a condition that affects the blood vessels and blood flow in the brain and spinal cord. These cause brain damage by preventing brain cells from getting enough oxygen. In the US, 5.3 percent of total deaths in 2023 were up from 5 percent in 2022

5. Respiratory diseases

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis constituted 4.7 percent of deaths across the United States in 2023

6. Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative disease that affected memory and thinking skills and eventually the ability to perform daily tasks, accounted for 3.7 percent of all those who died in 2022 and 2023.

7. Diabetes

Despite general awareness and declining rates, diabetes accounted for 3.1 percent of all deaths in 2022 and 2023

8. Kidney failure

They accounted for 1.8 percent of all fatalities even in 2023, with declining death rates.

9. Liver diseases

1.7 percent of all liver-related deaths in 2023 were attributed to liver cancer and cirrhosis. The death rate fell by 6 percent between the two years

10. COVID-19

COVID-19 deaths in 2023 accounted for 1.6 percent of all deaths among US residents, compared with 5.7 percent of all deaths the previous year.

Reference:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Leading Causes of Death." National Center for Health Statistics. Last reviewed October 25, 2024. Accessed December 27, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Dr.Swati Sharma/MSM)