most leading cause of death
Top 10 Causes of Death. Heart disease and stroke were the leading causes of death in 2001, regardless of countries' incomes, the study shows. However, other leading causes of death differed depending on countries' incomes. Here is the list for high-income countries: 1  Heart disease. 2  Stroke. 3  Lung cancer. 4  Lower respiratory infections. 5  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 6  Colon and rectum cancers. 7  Alzheimer's disease.
1 Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. 2  More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2008 were in men. 3  Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease. 4  In 2008, 405,309 people died from coronary heart disease.