Perhaps it’s a bit morbid, but today’s map features the disproportionately highest causes of death in each state. Originally published by Slate the map identifies which of the top ten causes of death hits each state the hardest. These ten causes account for nearly three-fourths of the almost 2.6 million registered deaths in the US. The top three killers account for more than half of those.
For those of you not up on your leading causes of death here’s a brief primer on each of them.
Number 10: Suicide accounts for over 41,000 deaths each year or about 1.6%. More than three times as many men (~32,000) take their lives than women (~9,000). Roughly one suicide in every twenty-five attempts succeeds.
Number 9: Kidney disease claims more than 47,000 lives every year or about 1.8%. Kidney disease afflicts Men and women are equally. More than 20 million Americans have some form of chronic kidney disease.
Number 8: Almost 57,000 people (2.2%) die from pneumonia and the flu. Pneumonia accounts for most of the deaths, but it’s an opportunistic disease that often strikes those weakened by the flu. Perhaps because they live longer and these diseases strike the old and weak disproportionately, this combination kills more women than men.
Number 7: Diabetes and its related effects claim more than 75,000 lives (2.9%) of deaths every year. Besides death, diabetes can also contribute to other health issues including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and loss of limbs and extremities. Nineteen out of twenty people diagnosed with diabetes suffer from type 2 or adult-onset diabetes.
Number 6: Nearly 85,000 (3.3%) die from Alzheimer’s disease or similar dementia-like conditions. Women are more than twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s. The exact cause of the disease remains unknown.
Number 5: Strokes and related blood supply problems for the brain claim nearly 130,000 lives (5%). Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year. High cholesterol, blood-pressure, and smoking are the leading risk factors for strokes.
Number 4: Accidents, such as transportation, falls, drowning, fires, and poison kill nearly 131,000 (5%) people each year. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 1 and 44. Nearly a third of those involve alcohol.
Number 3: Chronic lower respiratory diseases kill almost 150,000 (5.7%) people annually. The leading non-genetic risk factors include smoking, exposure to air pollutants, and respiratory infections.
Number 2: Cancer, in all its various types, kills 585,000 (22.5%) Americans each year. Lung, prostate, and colon cancer are the leading killers for men, while lung, breast, and colon cancer kill the most women. Smoking contributes to more than 4 of 5 cancer deaths. Other factors include obesity, inactivity, poor nutrition and for some cancers viruses.
Number 1: With more than 611,000 (23.5%) victims, heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the US. It’s also the leading cause of death worldwide. Heart disease includes several conditions, heart attacks, angina, arrhythmia, and heart failure.
For the morbid among you who are still here, you’ll note that septicima, which is on the map is not included in the top 10. That’s because the same data wasn’t used for the map and the list. The only discrepancy is at number 10, where suicide replaces septicima. The top ten was distilled from Medical News Today. If you’re interested in additional details, please visit the site – MNT 10 Leading Causes of Death
As always thanks for reading.
Armen