What Are the Top Three Causes of Death for People That Are 75?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a very small number of diseases make up a very significant proportion of deaths for those 75 or older. In 2007, according to the most recent data released by the CDC, more than 900,000 Americans 65 or over died of the top three disease categories: heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory problems. A fourth category, cerebrovascular diseases, also causes a significant number of deaths every year.

Heart Disease

• Heart disease is the largest cause of death among people 75 and older. Doctors use the term "heart disease" to refer to a variety of problems. This includes coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy and cardiovascular disease, which all diminish the ability of the heart to pump blood. In 2007, the most recent year for which age-based death statistics are available, 171,257 people between the ages of 75 and 84 died of heart diseases.

Cancer

• The second-most common cause of death for those 75 and older is officially "malignant neoplasms," the medical term for cancer. In 2007, 163,608 people between 75 and 84 died of a variety of cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, some common types of cancer include lung cancer, with more than 157,000 deaths every year across all age groups; colon cancer, with more than 51,000 deaths; and breast cancer, with more than 40,000 deaths.

Chronic Lower Respiratory

• Chronic lower-respiratory problems were currently the third-most-common cause of death for those between the ages of 75 and 84, according to the CDC. "Chronic lower-respiratory disease" encompasses chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. The primary risk factor for chronic bronchitis and emphysema is tobacco smoking, and smokers are 10 times more likely to die of these diseases than are non-smokers. In 2007, 48,041 people between 75 and 84 died of chronic lower-respiratory problems.

Cerebrovascular

• Cerebrovascular diseases were the fourth-most common cause of death for those 75-84, according to the 2007 figures. However, this death rate is similar to that for chronic lower-respiratory diseases. Cerebrovascular diseases affect the arteries within the brain, preventing them from supplying the brain with blood. This situation is commonly called a stroke. Cerebrovascular diseases include atherosclerosis and embolisms, both of which ultimately block an artery of the brain. In 2007, 41,979 people between 75 and 84 died as a result of cerebrovascular problems.