“More people died here from sepsis than in any other state” may not go on New Jersey’s official letterhead anytime soon, but it’s difficult to deny that Americans love things that make their home states unique, be they good, bad, or just plain morbid. Thanks to a new map and study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we now know the most distinctive cause of death for each state. To be clear: The map doesn’t show the most common cause of death in each state. That map would be boring and have two colors: one for heart disease and the other for cancer. What the CDC’s map does show is the cause of death that stands out most for each state relative to the national average between 2001 and 2010. For example, the number of deaths in Louisiana caused by syphilis between 2001 to 2010 — 22 — was above the national average, thus landing the Bayou State with syphilis as its most distinctive cause of death. While some of the causes make sense — ”pneumoconioses” (lung diseases caused by inhaling dust) in coal-mining states, for example — others are a bit confusing, such as “death by legal intervention” (death caused by law enforcement actions) in Oregon, New Mexico, and Nevada. Most Distinctive Causes of Death by State Alabama – Accidental discharge of firearms Alaska – Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae (resulting complications from the original disease/injury) Arizona – Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent Arkansas - Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent California – Hyperplasia of prostate Colorado – Atherosclerosis Connecticut – Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs Delaware – Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described District of Columbia – Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Florida - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Georgia – Symptoms, signs and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae Hawaii – Other nutritional deficiencies Idaho - Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae Illinois – Other disorders of kidney Indiana – Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae Iowa – Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections Kansas - Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections Kentucky – Pneumoconioses and chemical effects Louisiana – Syphilis Maine – Influenza Maryland – Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae Massachusetts - Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae Michigan - Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described Minnesota - Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections Mississippi – Other and unspecified malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue Missouri – Meningococcal infection Montana – Acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome Nebraska - Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections Nevada – Legal intervention New Hampshire – Other nutritional deficiencies New Jersey – Septicemia New Mexico – Legal intervention New York - Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs North Carolina – Other nutritional deficiencies North Dakota – Influenza Ohio - Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections Oklahoma – Other acute ischemic heart diseases Oregon – Legal intervention Pennsylvania - Pneumoconioses and chemical effects Rhode Island - Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae South Carolina - Other acute ischemic heart diseases South Dakota – Influenza Tennessee – Accidental discharge of firearms Texas – Tuberculosis Utah - Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae Vermont – Other nutritional deficiencies Virginia - Other acute ischemic heart diseases Washington – Tuberculosis West Virginia - Pneumoconioses and chemical effects Wisconsin - Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections Wyoming - Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections The study authors, Francis P. Boscoe, PhD and Eva Pradhan, MPH, acknowledge that the study has several limitations, including that the map is more likely to show rare causes of death because of the limited cause-of-death categories that were used. Had the categories been broader, the map would change significantly. It’s better to look at this study as a snapshot that can help public health physicians emphasize the prevention of more common chronic conditions, the authors wrote. They also found that death certificates frequently contain major errors, which suggests the need to teach physicians how to properly issue death certificates in order to have a more accurate data set in the first place. Source
