Australia’s leading causes of death in 2015
Heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and dementia take a lot of lives.
Of the almost 160,000 deaths in Australia last year the most common cause was Ischaemic heart disease; the grim reaper that has held the title for the past 10 years.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Leading Causes of Death 2015 report reveals 12.43% of all deaths in Australia last year were caused by ischaemic heart disease. The median age at death of these sufferers was 85.1 years.
Ischaemic heart disease is a blockage or narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, often the result of a buildup of fatty plaque inside the arteries. A severe enough blockage can cause a heart attack. The condition includes acute myocardial infarction, angina and chronic ischaemic disease.
Ischaemic heart disease has consistently been Australia's leading cause of death for the last decade, however, the standardised rate of death has decreased dramatically from 103.5 per 100,000 in 2006 to 66.1 per 100,000 in 2015.
The second most common cause of death in Australia, dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), has actually increased from 4.9% of all deaths in 2006 to 7.9% of deaths in 2015.
Cerebrovascular diseases (6.8%), cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung (5.3%) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (5%) round out the top five.
These five diseases were responsible for more than one-third (37.6%) of all deaths registered in 2015.
Australia's leading causes of death 2015
| Cause of death | No. of deaths | Rank | Median age at death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ischaemic heart diseases | 19 777 | 1 | 85.1 |
| Dementia, including Alzheimer disease | 12 625 | 2 | 88.6 |
| Cerebrovascular diseases | 10 869 | 3 | 86.6 |
| Trachea, bronchus and lung cancer | 8 466 | 4 | 73.5 |
| Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 7 991 | 5 | 81.7 |
| Diabetes | 4 662 | 6 | 82.1 |
| Colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus cancer | 4 433 | 7 | 76 |
| Blood and lymph cancer (including leukaemia) | 4 412 | 8 | 77.5 |
| Heart failure | 3 541 | 9 | 88.2 |
| Diseases of the urinary system | 3 433 | 10 | 86.9 |
| Prostate cancer | 3 195 | 11 | 82.4 |
| Influenza and pneumonia | 3 042 | 12 | 88.6 |
| Intentional self-harm | 3 027 | 13 | 44.5 |
| Breast cancer | 2 967 | 14 | 70.7 |
| Pancreatic cancer | 2 760 | 15 | 75.1 |
| Accidental falls | 2 474 | 16 | 87 |
| Cardiac arrhythmias | 2 327 | 17 | 88.1 |
| Hypertensive diseases | 2 285 | 18 | 88.3 |
| Skin cancers | 2 162 | 19 | 76.4 |
| Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver | 1 857 | 20 | 63.3 |
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) dementia in Australia ranked higher (#2), on average, than similar high income countries (#4) around the globe.
Although a cause of death may have a lower incidence rate than another, its impact on premature death rates may be greater.
For example, intentional self-harm accounted for just 1.9% of all deaths, with a median age at death of 44.5 years. However, it made up 10.7% of total years of potential life lost in 2015, while ischaemic heart disease accounted for only 7.8%.
Causes of death among men and women were very similar, although malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue and intentional self-harm were only ranked in the top 10 leading causes for men, while malignant neoplasms of breast, heart failure and diseases of the urinary system were only represented in the female top 10.
Australians don’t trust private health insurers, cancer patients suffer the worst financial stress, Aussies in regional areas are more likely to suffer mental health conditions and self-harm and nationwide, our diets are worse than ever. It's a good thing these 10 medicines are about to get much cheaper.
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