Danger: Top 10 Causes of Death in Men vs. Women

I know, I know, the blog is Lively Women, but today we’re focusing on the guys as part of the Science & Health Channel’s monthly Theme Day. This month’s topic is, you guessed it, men’s health.

According to WomensHealth.gov (ironic, no?), even though men’s life expectancy is approaching ours, they still need to be extra careful for these reasons:

• Men tend to smoke and drink more than women and generally have less healthy lifestyles.
• Men do not seek medical help as often as women.
• Men tend to join in fearless, risky, dangerous behaviors more than women.
• Men also largely define themselves by their work, which adds to stress and to being disconnected from their emotional side. This can add to problems in relationships, as well as in jobs and careers.

They also report a fascinating list of men’s leading causes of death:

28.4% —> Heart disease
24.1% —> Cancer
5.8% —> Unintentional injuries
5.2% —> Stroke
5.1% —> Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
2.9% —> Diabetes
2.4% —> Flu and pneumonia
2.1% —> Suicide
1.6% —> Kidney disease
1.5% —> Chronic liver disease

Interestingly, here’s the list of women’s leading causes of death:

28% —> Heart disease
21.6% —> Cancer
7.7% —> Stroke
5.3% —> Chronic lower respiratory diseases
3.6% —> Alzheimer’s disease
3.1% —> Diabetes
3.1% —> Unintentional injuries
2.9% —> Flu and pneumonia
1.8% —> Kidney disease
1.5% —> Septicemia

(This is actually a great follow-up to last month’s posts on women’s mental health issues and women’s annual medical exams.)

Are you or one of the men in your life at risk of one of these causes of death? Take preventive action now! The Centers for Disease Control offers a wide array of resources, and your doctor can help you figure out what risk factors are the biggest concern for you.

Also, check out these b5media blogs for topical health information:

• A Hearty Life
• Alzheimer’s Notes
• Cancer Commentary
• Diabetes Notes
• Lively Women (of course!)
• Mental Health Notes

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King