Leading Causes of Death for 81-Year-Olds

Leading Causes of Death for 81-Year-Olds (2021 CDC Data)

According to the 2021 data from the CDC, heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 were the top three leading causes of death for 81-year-olds. Heart disease alone caused the death of 23,708 individuals in this age group, while cancer claimed the lives of 15,638.

Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and diabetes were also among the top causes of death, with 4,726, 3,983, and 2,408 individuals dying from these respective diseases. Accidents (including overdoses) caused the death of 2,008 81-year-olds, while Parkinson’s Disease was responsible for 1,758 deaths.

Other causes of death included kidney disease, flu (non-COVID), septicemia, pneumonitis due to solids and liquids, liver disease (including cirrhosis), and nutritional deficiency. Suicide, enterocolitis, anemias, gallbladder disorder, peptic ulcer, hernia, congenital malformations, and prostate hyperplasia were also among the causes of death for 81-year-olds, though at lower rates.

This data gives us a clear understanding of the diseases and medical conditions that are most likely to lead to death for 81-year-olds in the United States. It can serve as a reminder to individuals and healthcare providers to prioritize preventative care, early detection, and ongoing management of these diseases to help reduce mortality rates.

Top Causes of Death for Age 81 Men

Looking at the data for 81-year-old men in 2021, heart disease was the leading cause of death, accounting for 12,423 deaths. Cancer was the second leading cause, with 8,348 deaths, followed by COVID-19, which caused 5,363 deaths. Chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes were also prevalent causes of death, with 2,205, 1,438, and 1,314 deaths respectively.

Other significant causes of death for 81-year-old men included Parkinson’s disease, accidents (including overdoses), and kidney disease. Additionally, flu (non-COVID), septicemia, pneumonitis due to solids and liquids, liver disease (including cirrhosis), suicide, nutritional deficiency, enterocolitis, anemias, gallbladder disorder, peptic ulcer, and prostate hyperplasia were among the reported causes of death.

Overall, the data points to heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 as the major contributors to mortality rates among 81-year-old men, although chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes were also significant factors.

Common Causes of Death for 81-Year-Old Women

Looking at the data for 81-year-old women, the leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19. Heart disease accounted for 11,285 deaths, with cancer close behind at 7,290. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death, responsible for 4,236 deaths in this age group.

Alzheimer’s disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, and diabetes were also prevalent causes of death for women, accounting for 2,545, 2,521, and 1,094 deaths, respectively. Other causes of death included accidents (including overdoses), kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, flu (non-COVID), septicemia, and nutritional deficiency.

Liver disease (including cirrhosis), pneumonitis due to solids and liquids, enterocolitis, anemias, gallbladder disorder, peptic ulcer, hernia, suicide, and congenital malformations were also among the causes of death for 81-year-old women, but at lower rates.

Overall, the top causes of death for 81-year-old women were similar to those for 81-year-olds as a whole, with heart disease and cancer being the two most significant causes of mortality. COVID-19 was a specific factor that led to a large number of deaths in this older age group.