Heart Disease: A Major Cause of Death in Australia, Unveiling a Complex Scenario
Four out of five deaths in Australia have multiple causes, as revealed by a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The most common underlying cause of death in Australia is coronary heart disease, accounting for about 20 percent of all deaths. Dementia follows as the second most common cause, contributing to 18 percent, along with hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes.
The data from 2022 shows that 81 percent of deaths in Australia are due to more than one cause, with 190,939 deaths registered that year. The majority of deaths were among individuals aged 75 and over, with COVID-19 appearing as a factor in patients 65 and above.
In total, there were 9,859 deaths due to COVID-19, representing 5.2 percent of all fatalities. Ischaemic heart diseases remain the leading cause of death, while dementia has emerged as the second most common killer.
The report also highlights the importance of considering all factors contributing to a person’s death when developing health programs and policies. For example, depressive disorders, hypertension, and alcohol use disorders significantly contribute to deaths when considered beyond their underlying cause.
Tobacco use, high blood pressure, overweight, and dietary risks are identified as the four risk factors responsible for 44 percent of deaths in 2018. In 2022, psychosocial factors such as support systems, intimate partner issues, suicide ideation, and personal history of self-harm played a role in 4,007 deaths.
