According to research carried out in July 2016, heart disease and cancer are the deadliest diseases in the United States. New data from the National Centre for Health Statistics reveals some of the diseases that claim the largest number of lives in America yearly.

1. Heart disease

The study showed that 23.4 percent of all deaths are due to heart diseases. They include heart failure, coronary artery diseases, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia. Heart disease is one of the most feared groups of diseases as it is very common and also rather hard and expensive to treat. The heart related diseases may be treated by administering appropriate drugs to the individual or by carrying out a surgical procedure.

2. Cancer

Common types of cancers include breast cancer, lung cancer, leukaemia, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and brain cancer among others. Cancer is ranked second in causing deaths among the American population – it accounts for 22.4 percent of all deaths. When detected early, however, it can be successfully treated. The problem is that even after successful treatment, cancer has a relatively high rate of relapse.

3. Chronic lung diseases

Currently, about 10 million people in the United States are suffering from lung diseases. This may be due to the reasons such as genetics, smoking, infections and others. Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema are some of the common lung diseases. This type of disease alone contributes to 5.6 percent of total deaths in the US annually.

4. Stroke

When an individual gets a blocked blood vessel or some bleeding in the brain, it habitually results in a stroke. Statistics show that strokes cause a total of 5.1 percent deaths. Just like a heart attack, a stroke can kill you in minutes, but it also leaves the victims disabled quite often.

5. Diabetes

Around 2.9 percent of all deaths in the United States were found to emanate from diabetes. There are three types of diabetes, namely type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Up to now, diabetes has no cure and all one has to do is to manage the condition. However, when diabetes is managed properly by the right medication and lifestyle, diabetics may live up to a normal life span.

The high rate of deaths caused by these diseases can be reduced by adopting the following general prevention measures:

  • – Exercise on a regular basis.
  • – Avoid stress.
  • – Control blood pressure.
  • – Eat healthy food.
  • – Observe high level of hygiene.
  • – Avoid smoking and high consumption of alcohol.
  • – Get enough sleep.