In public health, a big killer is a disease or other major cause of loss of human life.

For big killers of the past, see pandemics.

World Health Organization deaths

2002

By disease, conditions

1. Cellular aging Unknown ?%
2. Ischaemic heart disease 7,208,000 13%
3. Cerebrovascular disease 5,509,000 10%
4. Lower respiratory tract infection 3,884,000 7%
5. HIV/AIDS 2,777,000 5%
6. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2,748,000 5%
7. Perinatal conditions (low birthweight, birth asphyxia, birth trauma) 2,462,000 4%
8. Diarrhoeal diseases 1,798,000 3%
9. Tuberculosis 1,566,000 3%
10. Malaria 1,272,000 2%
11. Trachea/bronchus/lung cancers 1,243,000 2%
12. Road traffic accidents 1,192,000 2%
13. Childhood diseases (petussis, polio, diphtheria, measles, tetanus) 1,124,000 2%
14. Diabetes mellitus 988,000 2%
15. Other unintentional injuries (besides road traffic accidents, poisoning, falls, fires, drowning) 923,000 2%
16. Hypertensive heart disease 911,000 2%
17. Self-inflicted injuries (suicide) 873,000 2%
18. Stomach cancer 850,000 2%
19. Cirrhosis of the liver 786,000 1%
20. Nephritis/nephrosis 677,000 1%
21. Colon/rectal cancer 622,000 1%
22. Liver cancer 618,000 1%
23. Violence 559,000 1%
24. Breast cancer 477,000 1%
25. Oesophagus cancer 446,000 1%
26. Inflammatory heart disease 404,000 1%
27. Alzheimer and other dementias 397,000 1%
28. Falls 392,000 1%

By category

1. Cardiovascular diseases: 16 733 000 27%
2. Infectious and parasitic diseases: 10 904 000 19%
3. Malignant neoplasms: 7,121,000 13%
4. Respiratory infections: 3,963,000 7%
5. Respiratory diseases: 3,702,000 7%
6. Unintentional injuries: 3,551,000 6%
7. Perinatal conditions: 2,462,000 4%
8. Digestive diseases: 1,968,000 4%
9. Intentional injuries: 1,618,000 3%
10. Neuropsychiatric disorders: 1,112,000 2%
11. Diabetes mellitus: 988,000 2%
12. Diseases of the genitourinary system: 848,000 2%
13. Maternal conditions: 510,000 1%
14. Congenital abnormalities: 493,000 1%
15. Nutritional deficiencies: 485,000 1%
16. Nutritional/endocrine disorders: 485,000 1%

Source: The World Health Report - 2004 Annex Table 2 Deaths - World Health Organization

See also

• Infectious disease

External links

• Odds of death by various injuries or accidents from National Safety Council (U.S.A.)

• This fully referenced report shows the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million per year.

Public healthDiseases