Among the Top 10 Causes of Death in Missouri, Some are Surprising

It’s been said that there’s only one thing that everyone has in common and that’s the fact that we’re all dying. What a happy thought. If you take a look at statistically what the top 10 causes of death are in Missouri, you’ll find some that might surprise you.

This is one ranking where I didn’t want to rely on any 3rd party website that was anything less than official, so I turned to the Centers for Disease Control’s Missouri site for leading causes of death. Note: this does not include pandemic numbers as those are difficult to verify. This is a ranking of what are traditionally what is the root cause of loss of life and the number of deaths from that cause annually according to the CDC.

#10 – Suicide (1,151 annually)

#9 – Flu/Pneumonia (1,281 annually)

#8 – Kidney Disease (1,515 annually)

#7 – Diabetes (1,605 annually)

#6 – Alzheimer’s disease (2,545 annually)

#5 – Stroke (3,159 annually)

#4 – Accidents (3,776 annually)

#3 – Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease (3,940 annually)

#2 – Cancer (12,971 annually)

#1 – Heart Disease (14,820 annually)

I was truly surprised that suicide has now become a top 10 reason for death in Missouri. It’s another reminder to stay in touch with friends and family that you haven’t heard from in awhile to make sure they’re doing alright. If you are one of the people considering that awful end, please know you are valuable and seek help.

I was also not expecting to see accidents that have taken so many. Sometimes things just happen, but so many are preventable. It’s worth making a note of these potential diseases and ends to do everything you can to lead a long, healthy and happy life.