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10 Leading Causes of Death in the U.S., 2002
Leading causes of death differ somewhat by age, sex, and race. In 2002, 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 and chronic liver disease ranked 8th and 10th for males but were not ranked among the ten leading
causes for females. Similarly, Alzheimer's disease ranked 5th for females but was not among the top ten for males.
Rank1 |
Causes of death |
All persons |
Causes of death |
Male |
Causes of death |
Female |
|
All causes |
2,443,387 |
All causes |
1,199,264 |
All causes |
1,244,123 |
1. |
Diseases of heart |
696,947 |
Diseases of heart |
340,933 |
Diseases of heart |
356,014 |
2. |
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) |
557,271 |
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) |
288,768 |
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) |
268,503 |
3. |
Cerebrovascular diseases |
162,672 |
Unintentional injuries |
69,257 |
Cerebrovascular diseases |
100,050 |
4. |
Chronic lower respiratory diseases |
124,816 |
Cerebrovascular diseases |
62,622 |
Chronic lower respiratory diseases |
64,103 |
5. |
Unintentional injuries |
106,742 |
Chronic lower respiratory diseases |
60,713 |
Alzheimer's disease |
41,877 |
6. |
Diabetes mellitus |
73,249 |
Diabetes mellitus |
34,301 |
Diabetes mellitus |
38,948 |
7. |
Influenza and pneumonia |
65,681 |
Influenza and pneumonia |
28,918 |
Unintentional injuries |
37,485 |
8. |
Alzheimer's disease |
58,866 |
Suicide |
25,409 |
Influenza and pneumonia |
36,763 |
9. |
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis |
40,974 |
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis |
19,695 |
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis |
21,279 |
10. |
Septicemia |
33,865 |
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis |
17,401 |
Septicemia |
18,918 |
Source: U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States,
2004.
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