Leading Causes of Death for 68-Year-Olds

Leading Causes of Death for 68-Year-Olds (2021 CDC Data)

The leading causes of death for 68-year-olds in 2021, based on CDC data, are cancer and heart disease with roughly the same number of fatalities (16,974 and 16,864, respectively). COVID-19, which is the biggest pandemic in recent history, has claimed 9,897 lives of these individuals, making it the third leading cause of death.

Other common causes of death include chronic lower respiratory disease (3,461), diabetes (2,749), and accidents (including overdoses; 2,207). Liver disease (including cirrhosis; 1,407), kidney disease (1,121), and septicemia (1,040) also contribute to fatalities.

It is striking that flu (non-COVID) is still a concern, claiming 779 lives in this age group. Alzheimer’s disease is the 11th leading cause of death (577), and suicide ranks 12th with 539 deaths. Parkinson’s disease (409) and pneumonitis due to solids and liquids (353) are also prevalent causes of death. Nutritional deficiency (194), viral hepatitis (160), anemias (108), and gallbladder disorders (89) round out the top 20 causes of death.

It should be noted that this data gives insight into the morbidity of aging and the need to promote healthy lifestyles and preventative medicine. Additionally, understanding these patterns can help healthcare providers to allocate resources to the most pressing health concerns.

Top Causes of Death for Age 68 Men

Looking at the data for 68-year-old men, heart disease is the most prevalent cause of death, accounting for 10,854 fatalities. Following closely behind is cancer with 9,472 deaths, making it the second top cause of death. COVID-19 has claimed 5,821 lives of these men, ranking it as the third leading cause of death. Chronic lower respiratory disease (1,850), diabetes (1,688), and accidents (including overdoses; 1,544) are other common causes of death among this age group.

Liver disease (including cirrhosis; 892), kidney disease (610), and septicemia (533) are also prevalent causes of death. Flu (non-COVID) has claimed the lives of 448 men at age 68. Suicide (417), Parkinson’s disease (283), pneumonitis due to solids and liquids (246), and Alzheimer’s disease (228) are the next main causes of death.

Viral hepatitis (108), nutritional deficiency (91), homicide (57), gallbladder disorders (55), and peptic ulcer (50) are also key causes of mortality. Anemias (48), enterocolitis (36), HIV (66), and congenital malformations (35) round out the top causes of death. The data highlights the importance of preventative medicine and healthy lifestyle choices, particularly for at-risk individuals.

Common Causes of Death for 68-Year-Old Women

Looking at the table of common causes of death among 68-year-old women, the top five leading causes are cancer with 7,502 deaths, heart disease with 6,010 deaths, COVID-19 with 4,076 deaths, chronic lower respiratory disease with 1,611 deaths, and diabetes with 1,061 deaths.

Furthermore, accidents (including overdoses), liver disease (including cirrhosis), kidney disease, and septicemia are among the top ten causes of death for women at this age. Other prevalent causes of death include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and flu (non-COVID), with 349, 126, and 331 deaths respectively. Suicide ranked 12th with 122 deaths, followed by pneumonitis due to solids and liquids with 107 deaths, then nutritional deficiency with 103 deaths.

Furthermore, viral hepatitis, anemias, enterocolitis, and peptic ulcers combined account for less than 5% of the total deaths, with 52, 60, 43, and 35 deaths respectively. Kidney infections and congenital malformations both had 25 and 31 deaths, respectively, and homicide had 25 deaths.