The Leading Causes of Mortality Worldwide

 

    Nurses play an important role in diminishing the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Through their care, they can help reduce mortality. One of the tasks of nurses is to understand and determine the causes of mortality, and to plan and take steps to reduce them. It is important that nurses are knowledgeable about the epidemiology or statistics behind these causes in order to know how to prevent their increase. Through proper patient assessment and health education, nurses can create a huge impact in maintaining the health and wellness of people and help reduce mortality rates.

Here are the top 10 leading causes of mortality worldwide with their corresponding statistics:

1.     Cardiovascular diseases: This includes heart attacks, stroke, and other heart-related conditions, responsible for 17.9 million deaths annually, or 31% of all deaths worldwide.

2.     Cancer: The second leading cause of death globally, cancer causes approximately 9.6 million deaths per year, accounting for 16% of all deaths.

3.     Respiratory diseases: Responsible for 3.9 million deaths annually, or 7% of all deaths worldwide.

4.     Lower respiratory infections: This includes pneumonia and bronchitis, causing approximately 2.6 million deaths annually, or 4.5% of all deaths worldwide.

5.     Alzheimer's and other dementias: These diseases cause 1.6 million deaths annually, or 2.8% of all deaths worldwide.

6.     Digestive diseases: Responsible for 1.5 million deaths annually, or 2.6% of all deaths worldwide.

7.     Kidney disease: This includes chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury, causing approximately 1.3 million deaths annually, or 2.3% of all deaths worldwide.

8.     Liver diseases: Responsible for 1.2 million deaths annually, or 2.1% of all deaths worldwide.

9.     Road injuries: Accidents on the road cause approximately 1.2 million deaths annually, or 2.1% of all deaths worldwide.

10. Diabetes: This disease causes approximately 1.5 million deaths annually, or 1.6% of all deaths worldwide.

Reference: World Health Organization. (2021). The top 10 causes of death. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death