Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Abstract
"Objectives: This report presents final 2006 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age, race, sex, and Hispanic origin. Leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death are also presented. This report supplements the annual report of final mortality statistics. Methods: Data in this report are based on information from all death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2006. Causes of death classified by the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) are ranked according to the number of deaths assigned to rankable causes. Cause-of-death statistics are based on the underlying cause of death. Results: In 2006, the 10 leading causes of death were, in rank order: Diseases of heart; Malignant neoplasms; Cerebrovascular diseases; Chronic lower respiratory diseases; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Diabetes mellitus; Alzheimer's disease; Influenza and pneumonia; Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis; and Septicemia. They accounted for about 77 percent of all deaths occurring in the United States. Differences in the rankings are evident by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin. Leading causes of infant death for 2006 were, in rank order: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities; Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified; Sudden infant death syndrome; Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes; Respiratory distress of newborn; Bacterial sepsis of newborn; Neonatal hemorrhage; and Diseases of the circulatory system. Important variations in the leading causes of infant death are noted for the neonatal and postneonatal periods." - p. 1by Melonie Heron."March 21, 2010."Cover title."This report was prepared in the Division of Vital Statistics (DVS)."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 18-20).Heron M. Deaths: Leading causes for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 58, no 14. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010
