Leading Causes of Death in Males
United States, 2004
Below are the leading causes of death in males for 2004.
All Males by Race/Ethnicity- United
States, 2004
All Males by Age Group- United
States, 2004
| All Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart disease | 27.2 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.3 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 6.1 |
| 4) Stroke | 5.0 |
| 5) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.0 |
| 6) Diabetes | 3.0 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.3 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.2 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 1.7 |
| 10) Alzheimer's disease | 1.6 |
White Males by Age Group-
United States, 2004
| White Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart disease | 27.7 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.6 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 6.1 |
| 4) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.3 |
| 5) Stroke | 4.9 |
| 6) Diabetes | 2.8 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.3 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.3 |
| 9) Alzheimer's disease | 1.7 |
| 10) Kidney disease | 1.6 |
Black Males by Age Group-
United States, 2004
| Black Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart disease | 24.8 |
| 2) Cancer | 22.2 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.9 |
| 4) Stroke | 5.2 |
| 5) Homicide | 4.7 |
| 6) Diabetes | 3.8 |
| 7) HIV disease | 3.3 |
| 8) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 2.8 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 2.4 |
| 10) Influenza and pneumonia | 1.9 |
American Indian or Alaska
Native Males by Age Group- United States, 2004
| American Indian or Alaska Native Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart disease | 20.1 |
| 2) Cancer | 17.4 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 14.2 |
| 4) Diabetes | 5.1 |
| 5) Chronic liver disease | 4.5 |
| 6) Suicide | 4.3 |
| 7) Stroke | 3.4 |
| 8) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.3 |
| 9) Homicide | 2.5 |
| 10) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.0 |
Asian or Pacific Islander
Males by Age Group- United States, 2004
| Asian or Pacific Islander Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Cancer | 26.7 |
| 2) Heart disease | 25.4 |
| 3) Stroke | 7.6 |
| 4) Unintentional injuries | 5.5 |
| 5) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.5 |
| 6) Diabetes | 3.3 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.8 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.5 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 1.7 |
| 10) Homicide | 1.2 |
Hispanic Males by Age
Group- United States, 2004
| Hispanic Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart disease | 21.9 |
| 2) Cancer | 19.0 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 11.4 |
| 4) Stroke | 4.7 |
| 5) Diabetes | 4.2 |
| 6) Homicide | 4.1 |
| 7) Chronic liver disease | 3.5 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.7 |
| 9) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 2.4 |
| 10) Perinatal conditions | 2.2 |
*Percent of total deaths in the race category due to the disease indicated. The white, black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander race groups include persons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Short and Full Terms
Some terms in the leading causes of death tables have been shortened from those used in the National Vital Statistics Report. Below is a listing of the shortened terms used in the tables and their full, unabridged equivalents used in the report.
Short Terms |
Full Terms |
| Aortic aneurism | Aortic aneurism and dissection |
| Benign neoplasms | In situ neoplasms, benign neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior |
| Birth defects | Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities |
| Bronchitis | Acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis |
| Cancer | Malignant neoplasms |
| Chronic liver disease | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosiss |
| Diabetes | Diabetes mellitus |
| Gallbladder disorders | Cholethiasis and other disorders of gallbladder |
| Heart disease | Diseases of heart |
| HIV disease | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease |
| Homicide | Assault (homicide) |
| Hypertension | Essential (primary) hypertension and hypertensive renal disease |
| Kidney disease | Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis |
| Kidney infection | Infections of kidney |
| Medical & surgical care complications | Complications of medical and surgical care |
| Perinatal conditions | Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period |
| Pneumonitis | Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids |
| Stroke | Cerebrovascular diseases |
| Suicide | Intentional self-harm |
| Unintentional injuries | Accidents (unintentional injuries) |
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Page last modified: May 27, 2008
Page last reviewed: September 10, 2007