What's Killing Us?

Below are the 10 leading causes of death in the US, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These deaths are the annual number of deaths for these diseases in 2019, pre-COVID.

1. Heart disease: 659,041

2. Cancer: 599,601

3. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 173,040

4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 156,979

5. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 150,005

6. Alzheimer’s disease: 121,499

7. Diabetes: 87,647

8. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 51,565

9. Influenza and pneumonia: 49,783

10. Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,511

What is the number of US deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, about 1-½ years ago? Approximately 603,504 as of Jul 24, 2021.

There are three things that strike me about these stats. First, the number of deaths from COVID has been horrendous. It is well on a par with the top 3 leading causes of death annually in the US, and tremendously more than the number of deaths caused by influenza and pneumonia put together.

The second thing that strikes me about these statistics is that heart disease and cancer each annually cause a similar number of deaths as COVID-19 has caused in the last 1-½ years, but that has not garnered the headlines COVID-19 has.

And finally, it saddens me to see that self-harm finishes in the top 10. That means there are an awful lot of us in anguish so severe we would rather die. We really need to look after each other.

Granted, I have not compared stats from previous years on these diseases. But I’m not writing a paper here. I’m just telling you what smacks me in the face about the recent stats. Bet it surprises you, too. Any comments?

--Pat