There are all kinds of ways a person could die – like getting stomped out by a horse or camel. But camel related deaths are actually quite rare, believe it or not. On the other hand, a majority of humans are killed only by a small amount of causes. So with that in mind, what are the most likely ways to die? Today we count down through the ten most likely ways to die, so that you can take the necessary steps to reduce the risk of suffering any of the following fates. For the purposes of simplicity, I will be basing this article on data from the United States. It is possible that some of the entries on this list will therefore not be accurate for individual readers – depending on what country they are in.
10: Septicemia
Otherwise known as Sepsis, this is a serious problem actually caused by your own body. Sometimes when our tissue or organs are damages, our body overreacts and attacks itself. It is essentially a flaw in the immune system, and our most extreme defense to diseases. This can result in fever, high blood pressure, loss of breath, and some even more concerning symptoms. If untreated for long enough, your immune system will totally shut down. Then if your blood pressure begins to decline you could go into what is known as Septic Shock. The mortality rate for septic shock can be as high as 50 percent! What’s really scary is that any kind of bacterial infection can result in Septicemia. It all depends on how your body reacts to it.
9: Suicide
This one requires no explanation. Sadly, the global suicide rate has been gradually increasing for decades. It has increased to the point of being one of the most likely ways to die. But interestingly, some countries have higher suicide rates than others. The country with the highest of all is Lesotho, a tiny landlocked nation entirely surrounded by South Africa. In fact, Lesotho has a suicide rate more than double that of the nation in second place. The country with the highest in Europe is Russia. In the USA, the state with the highest rate of suicide is Wyoming, which is also the least populous of all 50 states. Antigua and Barbuda is the country with the lowest suicide rate in the world.
8: Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is a broad term for any disease of serious condition affecting the kidneys. With it being such a broad term, there are numerous causes for kidney disease. These include diabetes, alcoholism, dehydration, exposure to heavy metals like lead, high blood pressure, and more. In serious cases this can cause kidney failure. Given that the kidneys are responsible for removing toxins from the body, any potential failure could be catastrophic. If serious enough, a patient with kidney disease may require a kidney transplant. If not available, or if that fails, the condition could be deadly. So take care of your kidneys and your kidneys will take care of you.
7: Influenza
Influenza is just the flu. At one point or another we all get it, but it’s not always severe. Often mild and short lived, countless different viruses can cause the illness. In fact, the Influenza viruses are an entire family of viruses which are continually evolving and mutating to form new strains. Even mild forms of the virus can potentially be deadly for people with pre-existing conditions like asthma. For this reason, people with cardiovascular conditions often get the Influenza vaccine every year. The vaccine changed yearly due to different strains spreading and mutating annually. But regardless of vaccination or pre-existing conditions, Influenza can be deadly. It’s thought more than 10 percent of humans get the illness each year, and more than half a million die from it! Luckily, major outbreaks only tend to happen every couple of decades. Yet it remains a constant threat.
6: Diabetes
While diabetes can often be mild and lived with in the long term, it’s also one of the most likely ways to die. There are three main kinds of diabetes, and your experience with the disease will largely depend on which kind you suffer from. There’s type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 is when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin. This usually develops in youth. Type 2 is when your body does not properly respond to insulin. This one is primarily caused by high body fat, and often develops later in life. Gestational diabetes is specific to pregnant women. One of many complications possible during these months, it is caused when the pregnant woman has low blood sugar levels.
5: Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most terrifying illnesses of all. Even when it does not prove to be deadly, it’s a living nightmare for patients and family members. More than 60 percent of dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the global financial burden of Alzheimer’s is estimated to be around 1 trillion dollars each year. The way people actually die from Alzheimer’s is usually external factors which sufferers are now vulnerable to. These other diseases emerge during late stage Alzheimer’s, when patients can barely function at all. Their speech is basic physical mobility reduced. Needless to say, researchers have for decades been attempting to find a cure.
4: Stroke
A stroke is no fun. Essentially, it is a reaction to your brain not getting enough blood flow. With a lack of fresh blood, the brain begins to die, and parts of it cease to function properly. It doesn’t take a genius to see how this could be deadly. A stroke can be brought on by a general lack of blood flow in the body, or be bleeding. It can be brought on by smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, and a general lack of a healthy lifestyle. The good news is that strokes are actually decreasing in occurrence, with better medical detection of causes.
3: Respiratory Diseases
Another broad term, this includes any and all respirators diseases. Asthma is perhaps the most well known of such. But there is also pneumonia, Pulmonary_embolism, lung cancer, Tuberculosis and more. I don’t have enough time to get into each of these individually, but collectively they make up one of the most likely ways to die.
2: Cancer
If your getting sick of broad groupings of diseases, this article really is not for you. There are various kinds of cancer, all caused by mutation. Sometimes the cells in our body mutate and grow badly, to the point they attack other cells in your body. This is why cancer can be so hard to recover from – it’s tendency to multiply and spread through the body. More than 20 percent of deaths from cancer are directly caused by tobacco use. Another 10 percent is caused by obesity and alcohol. Often it’s a combination of all three factors. But with more than 100 separate types of cancer known to affect humans, none of us can confidently say we are not at risk. No matter how healthy you think you are, there’s always a chance.
1: Heart Disease
Heart Disease is any disease primarily affecting the heart or blood vessels. Not all forms of heart disease result in a heart attack -but all make you more likely to have one. They also make heart failure more likely. Heart failure is the when the heart is simply unable to pump enough blood through your body. The number one cause of death in the western world, it is not always easy to avoid. But there are steps you can take to reduce your chances of suffering it. The easiest way is to take a vitamin K supplement, which will help prevent calcium from building up within your arteries. More difficult yet more effective is to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. More than 50 percent of deaths from heart disease are caused by dietary factors.