Big killer

In public health, a big killer is a disease or other major cause of loss of human life. Examples include:

• Cancer: 23 % of deaths
• Circulatory diseases: 36 %.
• Diabetes : 1/3 of heart attack victims suffer from diabetes.
• Infectious diseases : AIDS and tuberculosis
• Mental illness : 30 % of people in the community suffers one. Prevalent are Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, as well as Clinical depression, which can however be controlled by medication and/or outpatient therapy for the overwhelming majority
• Traffic accidents

Ten Leading Causes of Death in the United States in the year 2000:

1. Heart disease: 710,760
2. Cancer: 553,091
3. Stroke: 167,661
4. Chronic lower respiratory disease: 122,009
5. Accidents: 97,900 (a majority of these are automobile accidents)
6. Diabetes: 69,301
7. Pneumonia and Influenza: 65,313
8. Alzheimer's disease: 49,558
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 37,251
10. Septicemia: 31,224

Source: National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 16, courtesy of United States