Mortality
Leading causes of death are determined by measuring how many people die and what the cause of
death is. Leading causes account for the highest numbers of deaths in a given population and
time period. Leading cause of death rankings are based on the underlying cause of death. There
are 50 rankable causes in the United States.
In 1951, the Public Health Conference on Records and Statistics recommended that state and federal
agencies responsible for identifying diseases of public health importance adopt a uniform ranking
procedure using a standard list of causes of death. The procedures implemented in 1952 are
essentially the same as those currently used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics; however,
the cause-of-death lists have been expanded and altered over time with each subsequent revision
of the International Classification of Diseases
(ICD).1
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Birth Defects: Infant Mortality
- Breast Cancer Deaths
- Cancer Deaths
- Carbon Monoxide Deaths
- Cervical Cancer Death
- Child Injury Deaths
- Colorectal Cancer Deaths
- Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Deaths
- Deaths due to Diabetes as Underlying Cause
- Deaths From All Causes
- Drug Overdose and Poisoning Incidents
- Fetal and Perinatal Mortality
- Heart Disease Deaths
- Homicide
- Infant Mortality
- Lung Cancer Deaths
- Maternal Mortality
- Melanoma of the Skin Deaths
- Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Deaths
- Parkinson's Disease
- Prostate Cancer Deaths
- Stroke (Cerebrovascular Disease) Deaths
- Suicide
- Unintentional Injury Deaths
