COVID-19, the highly contagious and potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has claimed more than 100 lives throughout the U.S. as of Wednesday.
And as the number of confirmed domestic cases of COVID-19 continues to climb, so do concerns about the death toll as more Americans test positive for the virus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control keeps track of the most frequently reported causes of death. As of 2018, here is how the CDC ranked the nation’s leading killers:
1. Heart disease
This perennially tops the list of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., as it did again in 2018. Cardiovascular diseases claimed 655,381 lives nationwide last year, or about 1,796 per day.
2. Cancer
Malignant neoplasms killed 599,274 people in the country in 2018, or roughly 1,642 deaths each day of the year.
3. Accidents
In life accidents happen. They were the third-most documented cause of death in the U.S. in 2018. The CDC reported that 167,127 people died that year from unintentional injuries, or about 458 per day.
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
Respiratory diseases, such as COPD and emphysema, were ranked fourth among the most frequently occurring causes of death in 2018, killing 159,486 people in the U.S. at an average of 437 each day.
5. Stroke
Cerebrovascular diseases claimed 147,810 lives in the U.S. in 2018, accounting for a daily rate of around 405.
6. Alzheimer’s disease
Frequently associated with the elderly, the brain disorder killed 122,019 people last year, or about 334 each day.
7. Diabetes
Chronic metabolic disorders, both Type 1 and Type 2, were blamed for 84,946 deaths that year, or roughly 233 per day.
8. Influenza and pneumonia
Ranked together, these illnesses killed 59,120 Americans at a rate of about 162 deaths per day.
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis
These kidney disorders claimed 51,386 lives last year, or roughly 141 each day.
10. Suicide
Intentional self-harm claimed 48,344 Americans, or around 132 per day.
Altogether, these 10 conditions accounted for 74% of all documented deaths reported in the U.S. during 2018, according to the CDC.
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