What Are the Leading Causes of Death to New York Residents?


There are many health conditions and diseases that the State of New York is riddled with. The leading causes of death in the state include heart attacks, cancer, and even diabetes, amongst other conditions such as infectious diseases and accidents. The leading causes of death in New York include conditions that a lot of research is being done on, understanding exactly how debilitating the condition is, and f anything can be done to reduce the incidence of the conditions in the state.

Let us now take a deeper look into what the leading causes of death in New York are:

The two most common causes of death in New York are heart disease and cancer. To support this claim, we can see statistics in 2019, where almost 50% of the deaths in New York were due to either of these two conditions.

The thing we need to understand, though, is that both heart disease and cancer are not just one thing. Heart diseases can vary immensely, from heart attacks to heart failure and other less common illnesses such as endocarditis. Even with cancer, the situation is similar because there is not just one type of cancer in the world. And all kinds of malignant cancers can kill the individual, so it is quite alarming how the rate is so high.

After heart disease and cancer, other leading causes of death in New York are accidents and lower respiratory infections.

We need to understand exactly why the mortality rate of these conditions is so high and what we can do to curb the numbers.

Why Is Heart Disease So Common?

There are many reasons for the high incidence rate of heart disease and the consequent mortality rate that comes with heart disease. Stagnant lifestyles, unhealthy, fatty food consumption, and too much sodium intake compounded with a stressful lifestyle are all recipes for heart disease becoming common in people in places like New York.

One of the primary reasons why New York has a high incidence of heart disease is that approximately two-thirds of the population in the country consumes too much salt in their daily routine. When an individual consumes too much salt, the sodium concentration in their bloodstream increases, which results in high blood pressure or hypertension. Hypertension is one of the most common reasons why people face heart attacks and strokes at some point in their lives.

The salty food that New Yorkers commonly take in includes salty fries and burgers and unhealthy diets of fried foods as well. There is a general lack of people inching toward healthier lifestyles where they consume more fruits and vegetables and take care of what they add to their diets.

People prefer to eat unhealthy food over healthy fruits and vegetables because healthier food is generally more expensive than unhealthy food. You can still see dollar menus at Mcdonald’s and other fast food joints and can eat a filling meal of burgers, fries, and sodas for a few bucks. Salads and fresh ingredients cost a lot more in New York and surrounding areas. So many people are limited by their budget if they want healthy food.

Other reasons which make heart disease one of the leading causes of death in New York include smoking. People who smoke are at a much greater risk of heart disease than those who do not. Even people constantly exposed to second-hand smoke from the people around them are more at risk of heart disease.

Diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol levels, having a family history of heart disease, taking up too much stress, and old age are all common precursors to heart disease in the world today. These are all quite commonly found in New Yorkers, which is why heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the area.

Why Is Cancer So Common?

Sometimes cancer is benign, meaning it can exist even without treatment and not cause any ill effects on the person suffering from the disease.

Cancer is a condition where normal cells in the body begin replicating abnormally and grow into a mass, which can sometimes be a tumor as well. The tumor can be benign or malignant, whereas the malignant ones are the deadly ones because they can spread to all parts of the body, and the benign ones are not cancerous.

The concerning bit is that there is no single known cause of cancer. People with a family history of certain types of cancer are more prone to being diagnosed with it. Other than that, smoking and tobacco use are also among the leading causes of cancer worldwide. Tanning Beds, X-Rays, Rays of the sun, and chemicals found in our food and our surroundings are also common causes of cancer. Sometimes cancer is completely unavoidable, and no one source can be linked to it.

It is one of the leading causes of death not just in New York but worldwide as well.

Are There Other Diseases Which Cause a High Mortality Rate In New York?

Yes, there are many other diseases and health conditions that contribute to the mortality rate in New York. These include accidents, strokes, lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, pneumonia, septicemia, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

There was a point, around two decades ago, when homicide was also among the leading causes of death in New York. However, that is no longer the case.

As we can see, most of the leading causes of death in New York are health conditions. Some of these can also be prevented, which means that there are possibly things that can be done to improve the situation. Health awareness is crucial for the residents of New York, and measures should be taken by the authorities that enforce good health practices in the state.

What Can Be Done?

Conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease do not have a cure. They can be prevented to some extent during the individual’s lifespan, but there is never a guarantee that the individual will or will not be afflicted with one of these conditions at some point in their life.

One of the ways to combat cancer is early detection. If a tumor is detected in the early stages, there are usually many treatment options that can be deployed, and lives can be saved.

However, for most of the other conditions, there are ways to prevent them.

On an individual level, to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension, the individual simply has to lead a healthier life than they are living now. Research suggests that diabetes in people can be reversed with the right kind of lifestyle changes as well. Eating a healthy, balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, protein, and fats is crucial to leading a healthy life for people at risk for these diseases.

Other than that, physical activity is also a major way for people to improve their lives. Many people these days have desk jobs and sedentary lifestyles, in which they have to include physical activity from time to time to ensure they do not fall prey to any debilitating health conditions.

On an authority level, many changes need to be made as well. The authorities need to spread awareness about the different ways to prevent heart disease and the common signs of cancer that can cause early detection and subsequent treatment. Regular health checkups also play a major role in allowing for the early detection of cancer and heart disease.

Smoking is a major factor that contributes to both heart disease and cancer. A large portion of the population in New York is addicted to nicotine and falls prey to diseases this way. Authorities need to step up and spread awareness about this situation as well.

Leading healthy lives should also be encouraged by the authorities by making it easier for people to access healthy food.

Many things can be done to reduce the incidence of these diseases in New York, and the methods should certainly be deployed at this point.

Final Words

Among the leading causes of death in New York, you will find heart disease and cancer. Along with them, accidents, diabetes, respiratory disease, and other such conditions also play a part in contributing to the mortality rate in New York. Some of these conditions can be prevented, but some of them affect the person out of the blue. Awareness is one of the best ways to deal with them.

The McClain Family

We hope we helped. Please let us know of any place that you want to know about in NYS or if we did a poor job with any part of this. Our goal is to help as many people as possible.

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