Overdoses, strokes surpass COVID as major causes of U.S. deaths: Report

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Well, that’s nothing to sneeze at.

COVID-19 continues to plummet in the ranks of major causes of U.S. deaths, according to the New York Post, with the novel coronavirus dropping from the fourth-leading cause of death in 2022 to 10th last year.

Of the more than 3 million deaths reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the Post reported that 49,900 were attributed to COVID compared to a peak of 416,900 in 2021, when the virus was the country’s third-leading cause of death.

Heart disease (680,900) and cancer (613,000) continued to hold steady as the top two causes of death respectively, cited on more than 1.2 million death certificates in the U.S. last year, the Post said.

“Cardiovascular disease is a slow killer that over time leads to premature death,” Dr. David Majure, the medical director of the heart transplant program at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said via the Post.

“Meaningfully impacting the toll of cardiovascular disease requires more than solutions in the clinic or hospital.”

Majure said heart disease needs to be taken more seriously and things like better diets, more exercise and preventing health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol need to be prioritized.

Coming in third were “unintentional injuries,” which spiked 26.3% between 2019 and 2023 due to a “significant” increase in drug overdoses, according to the Post. Estimated overdose deaths dipped slightly in 2023 to 107,500, according to the CDC, but still topped 100,000 for a third straight year.

“The U.S. is facing an unprecedented epidemic of opioid use and related deaths,” clinical psychologist Aimee Chiligiris told the Post.

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“A current driver of substance-related overdose deaths is fentanyl. Fentanyl has increasingly been laced with substances and places individuals at a much higher risk of lethality.”

Strokes (162,600) took over fourth spot from COVID, while chronic lower respiratory diseases (145,350) followed in fifth.

Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, meanwhile, passed COVID as the ninth-leading cause of death after surging 15.3% since 2019, which the Post attributed to excessive drinking during the pandemic.

For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to Healthing.ca – a member of the Postmedia Network.