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What killed Israelis in the past decade?

According to Health Ministry report, the percentage of Israelis dying from the most common diseases is in decline – but there is a notable rise in deaths from Alzheimer's and dementia.

A Health Ministry's summary report concerning the last decade reveals that the number one disease that kills Israelis is cancer, followed by heart disease; the good news is that the percentage of Israelis dying from these are in decline, and fewer Israelis die in relation to other countries in the world.

 

 

Cancer is still the leading cause of death in Israel, followed by heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes. However, for the first time, there is a critical rise in deaths from Alzheimer's and dementia.

 

Heart disease is the second most common in cause of death in Israel (Photo: Shutterstock)
Heart disease is the second most common in cause of death in Israel (Photo: Shutterstock)

 

The report concerns the causes of death in Israel from 2000 to 2012 by age, gender, and in comparison to the rest of the world. The report is based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics for those years.

 

The report shows tha between 2000-2012, cancer was the highest cause of death, with 89,093 men and women having died from the disease in those years.

 

Heart disease is the second biggest cause of death among all ages and is first for women aged 75 and over. Between 2005-2012, 56,383 people died from heart disease.

 

Cerebrovascular disease is the third biggest cause, 19,083 people having died of these diseases during those years. Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death, with 18,838 men and women dying of it.

 

These four causes of death account for about half of all deaths in 2012 (53 percent of men and 52 percent of women), compared with a higher percentage in 2000 (57 percent of men and 60 percent women).

 

The fifth leading cause of death is different for men and women. More men die of renal diseases, whereas more women died of blood poisoning (sepsis).

 

Rise in death due to dementia

It turns out that we are living longer lives. In the last decade, there has been a decline in the mortality rate for most of Israel's leading causes of death. The total mortality rate fell by a tenth between 2000 and 2012 – 14 percent among men and nine percent among women.

 

Regarding some causes of death there was an average increase between the years 2010 to 2012 compared to 1999-2001. The highest increase in mortality rate was from dementia, with an increase of more than double (111 percent for men and 116 percent for women). Also, there was also an increase recorded in the rate of deaths due to sepsis (71%) in both genders and Alzheimer's disease (57% men and 78% women).

 

The mortality rate also rose from pneumonia and influenza (13% men and 25% women) and pneumonia after inhaling liquids or solids (30% men and 49% women). Kidney disease mortality rate rose until 2006, but in recent years the rate is lower and relatively stable.

 

More men commit suicide than women

Among infants and toddlers from birth to four years old, perinatal causes and congenital anomalies are the leading causes of death, followed by accidents, which together constitute about two-thirds of all deaths in 2012.

 

From ages five to 14, accidents are the first cause of death among males and cancer is the second reason. Among girls of the same age, the ranking is reversed, with cancer being the first cause of death and accidents second.

 

From ages 15 to 24 accidents are the leading cause of death in 2012 among both genders, suicide is the second reason among boys and third among girls. Cancer is the second reason among girls and fourth among boys, while murder is the third cause of death among boys.

 

From 25 to 64 cancer is the first cause of death among both men and women in 2012. About half of all deaths among women in this age group and a third of all deaths among men were from cancer.

 

Among those aged 75 and over, cancer is the leading cause of death starting from 2008 among men and ranks second among women aged 75 and over. Heart disease ranked first among women and second among men. Cerebrovascular diseases ranked third as a cause of death among men and women in most years over the last decade.

 

Less Israeli men die compared to Europe and the US

It is surprising to note that in Israel, the percentage of all deaths is lower than in most European countries and the United States. In 2012, the mortality rate in Israel was 928 per 100,000 persons compared to an almost similar amount in Italy (923) and lower in France (871), Canada (881), Switzerland (882) and Spain (898).

 

In 17 other European countries and the United States there was a higher mortality rate than in Israel. Among men, Israel even ranked the lowest in Europe (1068) and the rate is only lower in Canada (1051), whereas among women Israel ranks fifth lowest in Europe (814) with lower rates registered in France (669) Spain (703), Switzerland (739), Italy (775) and Canada (74).

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.17.15, 16:35
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