 |
10 Leading Causes of Death in the U.S.,
2003
Leading causes of death differ somewhat by age, sex, and race. In
2003, as in previous years, accidents were the leading cause of death
for those under 34 years, while in older age groups, chronic diseases
such as cancer and heart disease were the leading causes. The top two
causes for males and females—heart disease and cancer—are
exactly the same. However, suicide ranked 8th for males but was not
ranked among the ten leading causes for females.
| Rank1 |
Causes of
death |
All
persons |
Causes of
death |
Male |
Causes of
death |
Female |
|
All causes
|
2,448,288
|
All causes
|
1,201,964
|
All causes
|
1,246,324
|
| 1. |
Diseases of heart |
685,089 |
Diseases of heart |
336,095 |
Diseases of heart |
348,994 |
| 2. |
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) |
556,902 |
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) |
287,990 |
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) |
268,912 |
| 3. |
Cerebrovascular diseases |
157,689 |
Unintentional injuries |
70,532 |
Cerebrovascular diseases |
96,263 |
| 4. |
Chronic lower respiratory
diseases |
126,382 |
Cerebrovascular diseases |
61,426 |
Chronic lower respiratory
diseases |
65,668 |
| 5. |
Unintentional injuries |
109,277 |
Chronic lower respiratory
diseases |
60,714 |
Alzheimer's disease |
45,122 |
| 6. |
Diabetes mellitus |
74,219 |
Diabetes mellitus |
35,438 |
Diabetes mellitus |
38,781 |
| 7. |
Influenza and pneumonia |
65,163 |
Influenza and pneumonia |
28,778 |
Unintentional injuries |
38,745 |
| 8. |
Alzheimer's disease |
63,457 |
Suicide |
25,203 |
Influenza and pneumonia |
36,385 |
| 9. |
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and
nephrosis |
42,453 |
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and
nephrosis |
20,481 |
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and
nephrosis |
21,972 |
| 10. |
Septicemia |
34,069 |
Alzheimer's disease |
18,335 |
Septicemia |
19,082 |
Source: U.S. National Center for Health
Statistics, Health, United States, 2005.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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