Reported by Lee Shu-Jen from Taipei

 

For every 100 mortality cases, 64 were associated with chronic diseases

According to the statistics of mortality cases in 2013 published by the MOHW, there has been an increase in the total number of deaths, cancer-related deaths and the speed of death.  As the population is ageing, chronic diseases have become the major cause of death in Taiwan.  In 2013, 7 out of the top 10 causes of death were chronic diseases.  The statistics show that 64 out of every 100 deaths were associated with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

 

Cancers top the chart for 32 years in a row

The statistics also show that, on average, one life perished in every 3 minutes and 24 seconds.  It was one second faster than a year before.  Cancers still topped the chart of the causes of death.  In 2013, total 44,791 people died of cancers.   There was a significant rise in the mortality rates of pancreatic cancer, oral cancer and esophagus cancer.

 

Lower mortality rate of liver and renal diseases

The top 10 causes of death in 2013 were: cancers, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, pneumonia, injuries, chronic lower respiratory track diseases, hypertension, chronic liver diseases (cirrhosis) and nephritis.  Comparing with the data a decade ago, heart diseases, pneumonia and hypertension were moving up the chart, while chronic liver diseases and renal diseases were moving downwards.

 

Analysed by age, cancers were the number one cause of death for children under 14.  For the age group between 15 and 24, injury was the most significant cause of death.  For those over 25, cancers, again, top the chart.  In general, cancers had 7 places in the chart of the top 10 causes of death and accounted for 64.2% of the total deaths. Wu Chien-Yuan from the Health Promotion Administration pointed out that as the population is ageing quickly, cancers have become a geriatric disease. 

 

Suicide affected young people most

 

Though suicide was not one of the top 10 causes of death, it was a major cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 24.  For this particular age group, suicide was the second biggest cause of death, claiming 166 lives in 2013.  The youngest victim was just 12 years old.  

 

There were 3565 suicide victims in 2031, 2388 were males and 1177 were females.  It shows males were more vulnerable than the females.   However, further analysis shows that more females than males attempted suicide. 

 

【2014-6-25╱United Evening News】