Top 10 Causes of Death Worldwide

[Angel]

The world's leading causes of death in 2001 were heart disease and stroke, according to a new study on global health.

Researcher Alan Lopez, PhD, and colleagues combed through thousands of data sources from all over the globe on 136 diseases and injuries in 2001.

Lopez works in Brisbane, Australia at the University of Queensland's School of Population Health. He and his colleagues published the results in The Lancet. Among their findings:

• Slightly more than 56 million people died in 2001.
• Those deaths included 10.6 million children, almost all of whom (99%) lived in low- and middle-income countries.
• More than half of the children died from 5 preventable or treatable conditions:
  • Respiratory infections
  • MeaslesMeasles
  • DiarrheaDiarrhea
  • Malaria
  • HIV/AIDSHIV/AIDS
• HIV/AIDS in Africa and setbacks in health for the former Soviet Union offset gains against other diseases.

The study shows that one in three deaths was due to communicable diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and health problems in pregnant women, new mothers, fetuses, or newborns.

Top 10 Causes of Death
Heart disease and stroke were the leading causes of death in 2001, regardless of countries' incomes, the study shows.
However, other leading causes of death differed depending on countries' incomes. Here is the list for high-income countries:

1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Lung cancerLung cancer
4. Lower respiratory infections
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
6. Colon and rectum cancers
7. Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease and other dementias
8. Type 2 diabetesdiabetes
9. Breast cancerBreast cancer
10. Stomach cancerStomach cancer

Here is the list for low- and middle-income countries:

1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Lower respiratory infections
4. HIV/AIDS
5. Fetus/newborn (perinatal) conditions
6. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
7. Diarrhea
8. Tuberculosis
9. Malaria
10. Road traffic accidents

Improvements, Setbacks
Lopez and colleagues saw some gains and setbacks, compared to the study's 1990 findings.

"Worldwide, HIV/AIDS and malaria are large and growing causes of death and disease burden, especially in sub-Saharan Africa," the researchers write, adding that the records show some progress in Africa against measles, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea.

They also note that countries of the former Soviet Union had "setbacks" in adult deaths during the 1990s. The study doesn't show a reason for that pattern, but the "absence of sustained health monitoring and policies" in those countries may have played a role, the researchers note.

They add that while health records have improved in some parts of the world, some countries have more detailed records than others.



According to the WHO World Health Report 2002:-

AIDS is Top Cause of Death in Developing Regions

HIV/AIDS has become a sudden and prominent cause of death. In 2001 it was the leading cause of death in non-industrialized regions, claiming 2.7 million lives. In Sub-saharan Africa alone, it claimed 1.9 million lives, and is significantly impacting the Life Expectancy of these countries, as can be seen in the Life Expectancy maps. While HIV/AIDS is an issue in the industrialized world, the number of deaths is significantly less. In 2001, 169,000 people died of HIV/AIDS, or 5% of the world total has been reported in the the WHO’s "Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2002."

1. HIV/AIDS

Source: WHO World Health Report 2002. Countries grouped by WHO Mortality Stratum, with Developing Countries representing regions with High and Very High Mortality, and Developed Countries representing regions with Low and Very Low Mortality.

Communicable diseases kill poor children

Other communicable diseases, along with nutritional deficiencies, and maternal and perinatal diseases, continue to take a heavy and largely avoidable toll. According to data from the World Health Organization, in 2001 12.8 deaths were due to these causes, with more than 11 million in non-industrialized regions, mainly India and Sub-Saharan African (see table, above). Together diarrhoeal diseases and lower respiratory infections (including pneumonia) caused 40% of these deaths. ). Together diarrhoeal diseases and lower respiratory infections (including pneumonia) caused 40% of these deaths. Lower respiratory infections killed 3.8 million people, with 2.6 million deaths in the non-industrialized regions. Diarrhoeal diseases caused 1.8 mn deaths, and nearly all were in the non-industrialized world.

Tuberculosis, measles and malaria continue to be major threats. In 1990, they collectively killed 2.8 million people in the non-industrialized world -- yet barely registered in the industrialized world. .8 million people in the non-industrialized world -- yet barely registered in the industrialized world.
Infectious diseases disproportionately affect children and childhood death rates.A baby girl born in Sub-Saharan Africa faces a 22 per cent risk of death before age 15. In China the risk is less than 5 per cent and in Industrialized countries the risk is just 1.1 per cent. The vast majority of these deaths could have been prevented with existing interventions.