What killed Americans in 1776? The answer is dramatically different from today
Routine screening has enabled earlier detection of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, while improvements in surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapies and immunotherapy have helped many patients live longer.
A recent analysis by the National Cancer Institute found that prevention and screening accounted for about 80% of the cancer deaths averted over the past 45 years for five major cancer types.
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In the 1940s, the widespread use of penicillin allowed for the treatment of diseases that were once fatal, including pneumonia, strep infections, wound infections and sepsis.
Advances in childbirth — including prenatal care, Cesarean sections, blood transfusions, antibiotics and neonatal intensive care — also dramatically improved maternal and infant survival compared with colonial America.
The use of CPR, defibrillators, coronary care units, bypass surgery, stents, statins and blood pressure medications helped to reduce cardiovascular deaths. (iStock)
The mid-20th century also ushered in improvements in heart disease treatments. The use of CPR, defibrillators, coronary care units, bypass surgery, stents, statins and blood pressure medications helped to reduce cardiovascular deaths, according to the American Heart Association.
What’s killing Americans today?
In a vast contrast to 1776, chronic diseases now account for most American deaths, because people generally live long enough to develop them.
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Current U.S. health data indicates that the following conditions are now the leading causes of death.
- Heart disease: Disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease and heart attacks, killed more than 638,000 Americans in 2024, according to NCHS data.
- Cancer: Approximately 619,876 people died of cancer in the U.S. in 2024.
- Unintentional injuries: Accidental deaths, including drug overdoses, motor vehicle crashes and falls, were the causes of more than 197,440 deaths that same year, records show.
- Stroke: Interruption of blood flow to the brain, which causes brain damage, claimed 166,852 American lives in 2024, per NCHS.
- Chronic lower respiratory disease: Long-term lung diseases — such as COPD, emphysema and chronic bronchitis — killed 145,643 people in the U.S. that year.
- Alzheimer’s disease: The most common type of dementia, which destroys memory and cognitive function, was responsible for 116,022 deaths in 2024, NCHS data shows.
- Diabetes: The chronic disease, which impairs the body’s ability to properly regulate blood sugar, contributed to 94,445 deaths that year.
- Kidney disease: Diseases that damage the kidneys and impair their ability to filter blood were blamed for 55,081 deaths in 2024.
- Chronic liver disease/cirrhosis: Progressive liver damage caused by conditions such as hepatitis, alcohol misuse or fatty liver disease were responsible for 52,274 deaths that year, per NCHS.
- Suicide: Death caused by intentional self-harm claimed 48,824 lives in 2024. (If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).)
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“The transformation of deaths in the last 250 years, largely from infectious diseases to currently chronic debilitating diseases, represents both success and new challenges Americans will have to face,” Dr. Omer Awan, a physician and professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“The chronic disease epidemic has been fueled by a lack of exercise, as well as by diets rich in fats, salts and ultraprocessed foods,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
The uptick in chronic diseases is driven not only by an increasingly aging population, but by people’s lifestyle behaviors, according to the doctor.
“The chronic disease epidemic has been fueled by lack of exercise, as well as diets rich in fats, salts and ultraprocessed foods,” he told Fox News Digital. “This has also led to the rise of obesity, which contributes to many of the chronic medical conditions that are among the top killers for Americans in the modern era.”
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Public health advances can change the course of health for millions of Americans, Awan said.
“Just as vaccines and antibiotics prolonged life centuries ago, so can lifestyle changes, exercise and new therapies that target obesity — like GLP-1 drugs and medications that promote better metabolic health.”
Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/what-killed-americans-1776-answer-dramatically-different-today