The US state that you live in may tell how you will die. A new study shows the most common causes of death varies per county, and that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the U.S., while cancer is second.
Life Expectancy Varies Per State
A study published in JAMA on Tuesday shows the disparities of death reasons per county. Researchers analyzed death records from the National Center for Health Statistics' National Vital Statistics System which included data on on 80,412,524 deaths that occurred from 1980 through 2014 in the United States.
Dr. Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, and co-author of the study, said: "We know that unequal access and quality of care create health disparities in the US for many causes of death, while other causes are linked to risk factors or policies. The results of this study prompt future research to further identify what drives health disparities in our country."
Wyoming Has The Highest Suicide Rate, West Virginia Highest In Drug Overdose Deaths
A few notable trends that emerged from this study include: Arizona, New Mexico and south and western Texas have the highest mortality rates for cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases; state with highest in suicide rate is Wyoming; Alaska, Native American reservations in North Dakota and South Dakota, andstates in the Southwest have the highest mortality rates due to self-harm and interpersonal violence; and the state with the highest drug overdose deaths is West Virginia.
The study is very helpful because it can help local governments and local health officials address the specific causes of death in their county. The study "opens up a new set of important questions about why areas experienced such different trends in particular causes of death".
