TABLE 2.1Top Ten Causes of Death, Numbers of Deaths by Cause and Total, and Total Death Rates, by Age Group (1999)

Age Group (years)
RankInfant (<1)1–45–14
1Congenital anomalies a 5,473Accidents b 1,898Accidents 3,091
2Short gestation and LBW c 4,392Congenital anomalies 549Malignant neoplasms 1,012
3SIDS 2,648Malignant neoplasms 418Homicide 432
4Complications of pregnancy 1,399Homicide 376Congenital anomalies 428
5Respiratory distress syndrome 1,110Diseases of the heart 183 4Diseases of the heart 277
6Placental cord membranes 1,025Pneumonia and influenza 130Suicide 242
7Accidents 845Perinatal period e 92Chronic lower respiratory diseases 139
8Newborn Sepsis 691Septicemia 63Benign neoplasms 101
9Diseases of the circulatory system 667Benign neoplasms 63Pneumonia and influenza 93
10Atelectasis f 647Chronic lower respiratory diseases 54Septicemia 77
15–2425–4445–64>65
Accidents 13,656Accidents 27,121Malignant neoplasms 135,748Diseases of the heart 607,265
Homicide 4,998Malignant neoplasms 20,737Diseases of the heart 99,161Malignant neoplasms 390,122
Suicide 3,901Diseases of the heart 16,666Accidents 18,924Stroke 148,599
Malignant neoplasms 1,724Suicide 11,572Stroke 15,215Chronic lower respiratory disease 108,112
Disease of the heart 1,069HIV infection 8,961Chronic lower respiratory diseases 14,407Pneumonia and influenza 57,282
Congenital anomalies 434Homicide 7,437Diabetes mellitus 13,832Diabetes mellitus 51,843
Chronic lower respiratory diseases 209Diseases of the liver 3,709Diseases of the liver 12,005Alzheimer's Disease 44,020
HIV 198Stroke 3,154Suicide 7,977Accidents 32,219
Stroke 182Diabetes mellitus 2,524HIV 5,056Nephritis 29,938
Pneumonia and influenza 179Pneumonia and influenza 1,402Septicemia 4,399Septicemia 24,626
Age Group (years)
RankInfant (<1)1–45–14
Total deaths (all causes)27,9375,2497,595
Death rate per 100,000 (all causes)705.6 g 34.719.2
15–2425–4445–64>65
30,656130,322391,9531,797,331
81.2157.5662.25,203.6

NOTE: The rank order of leading causes of death changed somewhat between 1998 and 1999, reflecting in part changes in the coding rules for selecting underlying cause of death between the ninth and tenth editions of the International Classification of Diseases.

a

Congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities.

b

Most vital statistics reports now use the term “unintentional injury” rather than accidents.

c

LBW = low birth weight.

d

Deaths related to congenital malformations of the heart are included with congenital anomalies.

e

Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period.

f

Pulmonary collapse or, more generally, absence of gas from part or all of the lung.

g

Death rate calculated per 100,000 population (under 1 year) rather than per 1,000 live births, which is the infant mortality rate (see Table 2.4)

SOURCE: NCHS, 2001a, b.

From: CHAPTER 2, PATTERNS OF CHILDHOOD DEATH IN AMERICA

Cover of When Children Die
When Children Die: Improving Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Children and Their Families.
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Children and Their Families; Field MJ, Behrman RE, editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2003.
Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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