Five Diseases Cause Two-Thirds of All Deaths in U.S., CDC Reports

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are a combined five diseases, ailments, and accidents that cause a majority (63%) of the deaths (approximately 900,000 each year) in our country.

On Thursday the CDC released their "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" which documented the five leading causes of death in the U.S. from 2008-2010. Those five causes are heart disease, cancer, lung disease, stroke, and unintentional injuries. Lung diseases include emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and unintentional injuries listed car accidents and medication overdoses as examples.

The researchers analyzed data provided by the National Vital Statistics System between 2008-2010 to arrive at their conclusions. The report also calculated statistics for those under the average life expectancy age of 79. The total numbers included: 91,757 deaths from heart disease; 84,443 deaths from cancer; 28,831 deaths from lung disease; 16,973 for stroke; and 36,836 for unintentional injuries.

"Death rates are population health outcome measures that reflect the combined influences of multiple biological and social health determinants, public health efforts, and medical care," the authors wrote in the report. "Examining which diseases and injuries result in the greatest number of deaths in populations, particularly for deaths that occur earlier than expected, allows health officials to establish disease prevention goals, priorities, and strategies."

The five following conditions that result in deaths only accounted for 12% of the annual rates. The CDC says that we can prevent nearly 200,000 deaths per year, and they're all heart-related. Approximately 800,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease, accounting for 30% of all deaths for those under the age of 75. People need to stop smoking, start eating healthier, and manage their stress more effectively for this to happen. The region of the U.S. that possessed the highest number of potentially preventable deaths was the Southeast, comprised of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.