Leading
Causes of Death
in Males
United States, 2002
Below are the leading causes of death in males for 2002.
All Males by
Age Group- United States, 2002 
| All Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 28.4 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.1 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.8 |
| 4) Stroke | 5.2 |
| 5) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.1 |
| 6) Diabetes | 2.9 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.4 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.1 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 1.6 |
| 10) Chronic liver disease | 1.5 |
White Males by Age Group- United
States, 2002
| White Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 29.0 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.4 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.7 |
| 4) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.4 |
| 5) Stroke | 5.2 |
| 6) Diabetes | 2.7 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.5 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.2 |
| 9) Alzheimer's disease | 1.5 |
| 10) Kidney disease | 1.5 |
Black Males by Age Group- United
States, 2002
| Black Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 25.3 |
| 2) Cancer | 22.2 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.9 |
| 4) Stroke | 5.3 |
| 5) Homicide | 4.7 |
| 6) HIV disease | 3.6 |
| 7) Diabetes | 3.5 |
| 8) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.0 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 2.3 |
| 10) Influenza and pneumonia | 1.9 |
American Indian/Alaska Native Males
by Age Group- United States, 2002
| American Indian or Alaska Native Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 20.9 |
| 2) Cancer | 16.0 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 14.9 |
| 4) Diabetes | 5.0 |
| 5) Chronic liver disease | 4.7 |
| 6) Suicide | 3.8 |
| 7) Stroke | 3.5 |
| 8) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.3 |
| 9) Homicide | 2.7 |
| 10) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.0 |
Asian/Pacific Islander Males by Age
Group- United States, 2002
| Asian or Pacific Islander Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 27.0 |
| 2) Cancer | 25.4 |
| 3) Stroke | 7.8 |
| 4) Unintentional injuries | 5.7 |
| 5) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.6 |
| 6) Diabetes | 3.2 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 3.1 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.3 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 1.6 |
| 10) Homicide | 1.4 |
Hispanic Males by Age Group- United
States, 2002
| Hispanic Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 22.5 |
| 2) Cancer | 18.6 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 11.7 |
| 4) Stroke | 4.6 |
| 5) Diabetes | 4.2 |
| 6) Homicide | 4.0 |
| 7) Chronic liver disease | 3.7 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.5 |
| 9) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 2.5 |
| 10) HIV disease | 2.2 |
*Percent of total deaths in the race category due to the disease indicated. The white, black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander race groups include persons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Short and Full Terms
Some terms in the leading causes of death tables have been shortened from those used in the National Vital Statistics Report. Below is a listing of the shortened terms used in the tables and their full, unabridged equivalents used in the report.
| Short Terms | Full Terms |
|---|---|
| Aortic aneurism | Aortic aneurism and dissection |
| Benign neoplasms | In situ neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior |
| Birth defects | Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities |
| Bronchitis | Acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis |
| Cancer | Malignant neoplasms |
| C. difficile infection | Entercolitis due to clostridium |
| Chronic liver disease | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis |
| Diabetes | Diabetes mellitus |
| Gallbladder disorders | Cholethiasis and other disorders of gallbladder |
| Heart disease | Diseases of the heart |
| HIV disease | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease |
| Homicide | Assault (homicide) |
| Hypertension | Essential (primary) hypertension and hypertensive renal disease |
| Kidney disease | Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis |
| Kidney infection | Infections of kidney |
| Legal Intervention* | Physical or other force used by police or other law-enforcing agents, including military on duty, in the course of arresting or attempting to arrest lawbreakers, suppressing disturbances, maintaining order, and other legal action. Includes legal execution and excludes citizen arrest. |
| Medical & surgical care complications | Complications of medical and surgical care |
| Perinatal conditions | Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period |
| Pneumonitis | Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids |
| Pregnancy complications | Pregnancy, childbirth and the peurperium |
| Stroke | Cerebrovascular diseases |
| Suicide | Intentional self-harm |
| Unintentional injuries | Accidents (unintentional injuries) |
| *World Health Organization. International statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Geneva: worked Health Organization, 1992. Available at http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/. Accessed April 15, 2010. |
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Page last modified: April 15, 2010
Page last reviewed: April 15, 2010