Respiratory diseases were sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2022

Image of a main having chest pains due to respiratory illness.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has listed chronic lower respiratory diseases — including COPD — as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics released its “Deaths: Leading Causes for 2022” final report in January, ranking the 10 leading causes of death.

The COPD Foundation said in a news release that COPD is also the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization. Jean Wright, MD, MBA, CEO of the COPD Foundation, said that despite these statistics, many people are still unaware of COPD and its symptoms.

“We must continue to increase awareness of COPD and educate people about the disease’s symptoms and the importance of earlier diagnosis,” she said.

The CDC report found that the number of deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases increased 3.5% in 2022, compared to 2021. While these diseases were the sixth leading cause of death among both men and women, the report said that the burden of deaths was higher for women (5%) than men (4%).

According to the report, the 10 leading causes of death in the United States in 2022 were:

  1. Heart disease
  2. Malignant neoplasms
  3. Accidents (unintentional injuries)
  4. COVID-19
  5. Cerebrovascular diseases
  6. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (including COPD)
  7. Alzheimer’s disease
  8. Diabetes mellitus
  9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis
  10. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis

The report used data from all death certificates filed in the United States in 2022. 

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