DIABETES IS THE #7 LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH

Diabetes is the #7 leading cause of death in the U.S.

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deaths caused by diabetesThe ranking of deaths for Diabetes has not differed much in the last dozen years.

First of all, it is important to note that there are different risk factors. First of all, some are inherited.  Hence,  type 1 diabetes. Second of all, Much of type 2 can be developed from a life style.  Furthermore,  type 2 diabetes has a strong correlation  with obesity. Diabetes is also connected with other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease,” said Med-Q Medication Management System’s lead editorial writer, Samuel Demar.

He said diabetes-related have long been under estimated as well as incorrectly reported.  First, the doctor will often not make diabetes the primary cause of death.  Hence, that will be missing from the death certificate.  However, looking at any mention of diabetes on death certificates, shows if and when diabetes was a contributing factor,   To sum up, all the data shows the numbers are much much larger.

“2015 showed about 75 thousand deaths due to diabetes .  However,  it has been  listed as a contributing factor in death on close to 240 thousand death certificates”, said Demar.

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deaths caused by diabetesDiabetes has bobbled up and down on the top ten list over the years.

“It hasn’t changed a whole lot over last 10 years or so. There are different risk factors. Some are inherited, like in type 1 diabetes. Much of type 2 is associated with obesity. Diabetes is also connected with other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease,” said Anderson.

He said diabetes-related deaths are likely under reported — physicians may not make it the primary cause of death on a death certificate, but “if you look at any mention of diabetes on death certificates, cases where it’s a contributing factor, the numbers are much much larger.”

There are about 76,000 deaths caused by diabetes each year, but it is listed as a contributing factor in death on close to 245,000 death certificates annually.

The Number 8 cause of death. Influenza and pneumonia

First of all,  not all of the deaths were flu-related deaths. There was a  combination of influenza and pneumonia.  Second, a category for flu mortality surveillance was created. Furthermore, an estimate of up to 18 Percent  of the deaths are actually associated with different kinds of flus. A lot of these deaths are elderly folks who, say, have a stroke and are in the hospital and may develop pneumonia from being in a static position.”

Fatalities specifically mentioning “flu” number about  6,000 deaths per year. The deaths will often  fluctuate during flu season.  However,  deaths from pneumonia stay pretty stable over time.  The changes help  determine the effects of flu season.  “So that’s why these two are combined,” Demar has explained.

9. Kidney disease

This category includes chronic kidney issues, including kidney failure or end-stage renal disease.

“A large proportion of this category is renal failure. Some are probably related to diabetes in some way, or heart disease and heart failure, and high blood pressure. It’s always been on the second half of the list, at least in recent memory,” Anderson said.

10. Suicide

Suicide is the nation’s 10th leading cause of death, and the number of cases has been on the rise. “The rate of suicide has gone up nearly steadily since 1999,” Sally Curtin, a statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC, said when the latest figures were released this spring.

“It has typically been there between number 10 and 15, but occasionally it has popped up into the top ten and it’s something we’re keeping our eye on,” said Anderson.

A study out earlier this year also suggested medical errors can be blamed for a significant number of deaths each year, although they were not included on this list. Anderson said many physicians likely do not report medical errors on death certificates.

Life expectancy

The report also found that life expectancy at birth is 78.8 years, unchanged since 2012. Life expectancy rose for black males, Hispanic males and females, and non-Hispanic black males. Life expectancy shrunk for non-Hispanic white females from 2013 to 2014, possibly due to a rise in opioid use and suicide.

2014’s data shows that the death rate is going up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the numbers.

  • The CDC is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and internationally.

First of all, the numbers are based  2014 death certificates. The overall death rate rose to nearly 729 deaths per 100, Thousand men and women last year, from about 722 tin 2013.

“I think, ideally, what we would like to see is people living well into their nineties with a  good Quality of Life. That’s what I’d like to see,” Demar said. “That’s one of the reasons for creating these lists.”

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