STAT April 3, 2024
The leading causes of death haven’t changed since 1990 — with one glaring, pandemic-sized exception.
According to the latest analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study, which reviewed deaths from 288 causes in over 200 states and territories, Covid-19 was the only condition that broke into the ranks — if only for two years — of the global population’s traditional top five killers: ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2020 and 2021, Covid-19 was the second-leading cause, pushing stroke to third position.
The study, published Thursday in The Lancet, is the most comprehensive effort to quantify health gains and losses around the world. It found that the years 2020 and...
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