Cause of death ranked according to the number of deaths is a useful way to examine the relative bur-den of mortality from specifi c causes. From the standpoint of prevention, it is helpful to understand the most common causes of death and how they vary in diff erent age, race, and sex subgroups. Th is type of data informs resource allocation, program planning, and provision of services.
In 2002, the ten leading causes of death accounted for 79% of all deaths occurring in the United States.10 Five chronic diseases accounted for almost two-thirds of all deaths in the United States—
heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and diabetes. Th e fi rst and third lead-ing causes of death, heart disease and stroke, have been declinlead-ing since 1950 and the second leadlead-ing cause of death, cancer, has been declining since 1990.11
During the period 2001-2003, there were 28,790 deaths among Alameda County residents, an average of 9,597 per year. Th e ten leading causes of death accounted for 78% of this total.
Heart disease, cancer, and stroke, the three leading causes of death, ac-counted for 59% of all deaths. Chronic lower respiratory disease and uninten-tional injuries ranked fourth and fi ft h, respectively, followed by infl uenza and pneumonia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic liver disease/cir-rhosis. Homicide, which was not among the leading causes of death in 1999-2000, ranked tenth, accounting for about 1% of all deaths.
3.2%
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 Homicide Chronic Lower Resp Dis Stroke Cancer Heart Disease
Number of Deaths
What is Alameda County’s status?
Source: CAPE; Alameda County vital statistics fi les.
Gender
Both males and females had the same three leading causes of death–heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Among males, they accounted for 58% of deaths. Th e fourth leading cause of death among males was uninten-tional injury, followed by chronic lower respiratory disease, infl uenza and pneumonia, diabetes, homicide, suicide, and chronic liver disease/cir-rhosis. Suicide ranked in the top ten for males while it did not for the total population or females alone.
Figure 3.6: Leading Causes of Death Among Males, Alameda County, 2001-2003 (N=14,109)
Th e three leading causes of death among females–heart disease, cancer, and stroke–accounted for 60% of all deaths. Th e fourth leading cause was chronic lower respiratory disease, followed by infl uenza and pneumo-nia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, unintentional injuries, hyperten-sion/hypertensive renal disease, and pneumonitis.
Figure 3.7: Leading Causes of Death Among Females, Alameda County, 2001-2003 (N=14,681)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 Pneumonitis Chronic Lower Resp Dis Stroke Cancer Heart Disease
Number of Deaths Source: CAPE; Alameda County vital statistics fi les.
Source: CAPE; Alameda County vital statistics fi les.
1.8%
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 Chronic Liver Dis/Cirrhosis
Suicide Homicide Diabetes Mellitus Influenza & Pneumonia Chronic Lower Resp Dis Unintentional Injuries Stroke Cancer Heart Disease
Number of Deaths
4.3% Chronic Lower Resp Dis Homicide Chronic Lower Resp Dis Stroke Cancer Heart Disease Chronic Lower Resp Dis Diabetes Mellitus Chronic Lower Resp Dis Chronic Liver Dis/Cirrhosis
Heart disease was the leading cause of death, followed by cancer and stroke, for every race/ethnic group except American Indians and Asians. Among American Indians and Asians, can-cer was the leading cause, followed by heart disease. Th e third cause for American Indians was chronic liver disease/cirrhosis, while for Asians it was stroke.
Diabetes ranked among the fi ve lead-ing causes of death for every race/eth-nic group except Whites. Chrorace/eth-nic lower respiratory disease, homicide, unintentional injury, and infl uenza/
pneumonia are other diseases that ranked among the fi ve leading causes, depending upon race/ethnicity.
Th e total number of deaths among American Indians, Native Hawaiians/
Pacifi c Islanders and Multiple Races was small (72, 154, and 116, respec-tively). Th us rankings of cause may shift based on just a few deaths.
Figure 3.8: Leading Causes of Death by Race/Ethnicity, Alameda County, 2001-2003 (N=28,790)
African American (n=6,134)
American Indian (n=72)
Asian (n=3,271)
Latino (n=2,275)
Native Hawaiian/Pacifi c Islander (n=154)
White (n=16,754)
Multiple Race (n=116)
Source: CAPE; Alameda County vital statistics fi les.
Age
Birth defects were the leading cause of death among babies under one year of age, accounting for 23.5% of infant deaths. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) ranked second, followed by disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, neonatal hemorrhage, and complica-tions of pregnancy (placenta, cord, or membranes). Birth defects were the leading cause of infant death for every race/ethnic group except African American infants, for whom SIDS was the leading cause of death.
Unintentional injury was the leading cause of death among children one to
3.9% Chronic Lower Resp Dis Stroke Short Gestation & LBW SIDS Birth Defects
14 years of age, accounting for 27.7%
of all deaths. Of unintentional injury deaths, over one-third were from mo-tor vehicle crashes. Cancer was the second leading cause of death, fol-lowed by birth defects and homicide.
Homicide was the leading cause of death among youth 15 to 24 years of age, accounting for one third of all deaths in this age group. Uninten-tional injury ranked a close second, accounting for 29.5% of deaths.
Suicide and cancer tied for the third leading cause, followed by heart dis-ease. It is noteworthy that over 70%
of all deaths in this age group are due to either intentional or unintentional injury.
Unintentional injury was the leading cause of death among adults 25 to 44 years of age, accounting for 18% of all deaths. Cancer was the second lead-ing cause of death, followed by heart disease, homicide and suicide. Injury, either intentional or unintentional, accounted for 36% of all deaths in this age group.
Cancer was the leading cause of death among adults 45 to 64 years of age, accounting for 33.9%, or one-third, of all deaths. Heart disease was the sec-ond leading cause of death, followed by stroke, unintentional injury, and diabetes. In this age group, chronic disease surpasses injury among the leading causes, accounting for 64% of deaths shown here.
By far, the greatest number of deaths occur in the oldest age group, refl ect-ing, for the most part, the pattern observed for leading causes overall.
Among the elderly, chronic diseases are the predominant cause of death.
Figure 3.9: Leading Causes of Death by Age Group, Alameda County, 2001-2003 (N=28,790)
Infant <1 year (n=319)
1-14 years (n=130)
15-24 years (n=383)
25-44 years (n=1,732)
45-64 years (n=5,550)
65+ years (n=20,670)
Source: CAPE; Alameda County vital statistics fi les.