STATCAST - Week of June 24, 2019

NCHS Releases 2017 “Leading Causes of Death” Report

TRANSCRIPT

NCHS today released its annual “leading causes of death” reportpdf icon, based on 2017 data. The report documents leading killers in the country by age, gender, and race and Hispanic origin. While many leading causes of death rank high among most groups, there are some causes of death that only significantly impact certain groups. For example:

• While birth defects are the 2^nd leading cause of death among children ages 1-4, among 15-24 year-olds it still ranks 6^th among leading causes of death.
• Homicide is the 4^th leading cause of death among children ages 1-14. It is also the 3^rd leading cause of death among those ages 15 thru 34, the 5^th leading cause of death among those ages 35-44, and it ranks 10^th among those ages 45-54.
• Accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans from age 1 thru 44. Cancer is the leading cause of death for 45-64 year-olds and heart disease is the leading killer for those age 65 and up.
• Though HIV/AIDS is no longer among the 15 top killers in the U.S., it is still the 9^th leading cause of death among adults ages 25-44. In the non-Hispanic black population, HIV/AIDS is the 9^th leading cause of death among those ages 20-24, and ranks 8^th among those ages 25 thru 54.
• For the non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native population, chronic liver disease & cirrhosis is the 5^th leading cause of death, and ranks 4th for those ages 25-34, 2^nd for those ages 35-44, and 4^th for those ages 45-64. The disease, which is often brought on by alcoholism, is also the 7^th leading cause of death among all Hispanic Americans.