If you've ever wondered what's most likely to put you in a body bag at the end of the day, then wonder no more.
A recent report from the Arizona Department of Health Services includes a list of the top 10 killers for 10 age groups of people in Arizona, all in one easy chart.
While heart disease is the number-one killer of people in Arizona (at least, using data from 2006 to 2010), the top killer of people under 45 years old is "unintentional injury," or accident, which includes poisoning, being accidentally shot by firearms, falling, traffic crashes, and other means.
For people between the ages of 15 and 24, "unintentional injury" is the top killer, followed by homicide and suicide.
The stats are nearly the same for people between 25 and 34, except suicide is second, and homicide is third.
Check out the chart below:
(Click the image for a larger view.)
(For those who haven't perused a medical textbook recently, malignant neoplasms means cancer and cerebrovascular disease means a stroke.)
Strangely enough, the national statistics, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show some causes of death are more or less common in Arizona than they are nationwide.
For example, accidents, or "unintentional injuries," are the third-leading killer of people in Arizona, but only fifth nationwide. Suicide's also eighth in Arizona, but 10th nationally, and liver disease is 10th in Arizona but not one of the top 10 killers nationally.
To see the state health department's report on unintentional injuries, click here.
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
