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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
What are the causes of death of the French? Health authorities are taking stock of the deaths occurring in 2021. Three well-known pathologies stand out.
What are the most common causes of death in 2021? To establish this ranking, the Inserm Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes of Death, the Department of Research, Studies and Evaluation of Statistics (DREES) and Public Health France carried out a study, published this December 19.
Cancers, cardiovascular diseases and Covid
On the podium, we find cancers in first position, which cause 25.7% of deaths. Next come diseases of the circulatory system with 20.9% of deaths. And in third position is Covid, with 9.2% of all deaths.
“We note increases in mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system in 2021, to endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and of the digestive system from 2020, compared to the trends for the years 2015-2019” note the scientists.
“We can think of difficulties in accessing care as well as greater social isolation which may have influenced differences in behavior and consumption. linked to the health crisis, in particular.
More deaths among men than women
Overall, however, there were fewer deaths in 2021 than in 2020: 660,168 deaths compared to 667,497. Men, who represent 50.4% of deaths, are more affected than women, and even more so once the data are standardized. : “The male mortality rate is 1.7 times higher than the female rate” the researchers say.
The youngest are also on the front line: “This excess male mortality is higher among those under 65.” with still an inequality between men and women: “Premature deaths represent 19.9% of male deaths compared to only 10.5% of female deaths.“.
“Beyond Covid, it is infectious diseases that kill more”
Asked about this observation, Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo, is not surprised. “The population is aging overall and becoming more fragile in the face of infections. notes the doctor.
“As for Covid, it is presented as being the cause of almost 10% of deaths, but in reality on the one hand, the people who may have died from it had comorbidities and were therefore at greater risk of death. on the other hand, we do not always distinguish in these works the fact of “dying from Covid” from “dying with Covid”, which is not quite the same thing” concludes the doctor.
Slide: Misconceptions about cancer