At one point stroke was the most common way to die for Americans, but it has been since passed up by other conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. The new statistics on life expectancy have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raising some disturbing new trends.
The top two killers in America are still heart disease and cancer, but it seems as though the overall life expectancy for Americans is dropping. Whether it is because of the obesity epidemic or health factors that are out of our control, it is still something important to look at.
Stroke now takes fourth place with regards to the top killers of Americans. The number of American deaths from stroke have fallen significantly, 3.8 percent to be exact; the drop happened between the years 2007 and 2008.
There were others health conditions that increased dramatically though, such as lower respiratory disease which soared 7.8 percent. The CDC stated that the only reason for the increase may just be the way in which the deaths were recorded, so it may not be a reflection American’s overall health.
Whatever is going on, there is no denying the fact that there is a major shift occurring in the way Americans die and how long they live.