And now for some good news on health

When it comes to health concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic is top of mind for most people right now. And that’s for good reason. But there is some very good non-COVID health news that may not be getting the attention it deserves. According to the CDC, the rates of six of the top 10 causes of death in this country, which account for about three-quarters of all deaths, have been declining. That’s remarkable. And these improvements are occurring despite an aging population and an obesity epidemic that affects several health conditions. Six positive health trends Let’s look at the trends in these conditions and their rank as causes of death in the US: Heart disease (#1) and stroke (#5): Deaths due to cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke, fell by about 36% between 2000 and 2014. The decline for heart disease since 2014 appears to have continued through 2018. After leveling off for several years, stroke-related deaths dropped again (by 1.3%) from 2017 to 2018. Cancer (#2): The drop in cancer deaths was about 2% between 2017 and 2018. Over the last 25 years it has dropped by 29%. Unintentional injuries (#3), including drug overdoses, and chronic lower respiratory diseases (#4), such as emphysema and asthma: Each of these categories dropped by nearly 3% from 2017 to 2018. Alzheimer’s disease (#6): Deaths fell 1.6%, even though the prevalence of this devastating illness is increasing. The cholesterol connection Another positive trend is that cholesterol l...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Cancer Health Health trends Heart Health Source Type: blogs