RealWorldGraduation_Question_60_CausesOfDeath <– PDF
The U. S. Government published a report [1] summarizing the causes of death among Americans in 2004. A total of 2,397,615 deaths occurred in that year, broken down by cause as follows. The text in parentheses appears in the original; that in square brackets is editorial explanation.
- Diseases of the heart: 652,486
- Malignant neoplasm [cancers]: 553,486
- Cerebrovascular diseases [stroke]: 150,074
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 121,987
- Accidents (unintentional injuries): 112,012
- Diabetes mellitus: 73,138
- Alzheimer’s disease: 65,965
- Influenza and pneumonia: 59,664
- Nephritis, nephritic syndrome, and nephrosis [kidney diseases]: 42,480
- Septicemia [blood poisoning]: 33,373
- Intentional self-harm (suicide): 32,439
- Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 27,013
- Essential hypertension [high blood pressure] and hypertensive renal [kidney] disease: 23,076
- Parkinson’s disease: 17,989
- Assault (homicide): 17,357
- All other causes: 414,674
[1] A. M. Minino, M. P. Heron, S. L. Murphy, K. D. Kochanek, National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 55, No. 19 (21 Aug 07), Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services)
Consuming too much salt (also known as dietary sodium) is known to cause an increase in blood pressure (hypertension). Increased blood pressure is known to be a contributing cause of strokes, kidney disease, and some heart attacks. There is a sub-category of “Accidents” that deals with poisoning, but none of those deaths are listed as sodium or salt poisoning. None of the 414,674 residual deaths from accidents are related to stroke, heart disease, or kidney disease. Also, none of the 414,674 residual deaths are called out as being due specifically to salt intake. Based on these facts and statistics, how many of these deaths can be attributed directly or indirectly to the intake of salt?
a. The sum of those due to stroke (150,074) and nephritis/nephritic syndrome/nephrosis (42,480), which totals to 192,554
b. The sum of those due to stroke (150,074) and essential hypertension/renal disease (23,076), which total to 173,150
c. The sum of those due to stroke (150,074), nephritis/nephritic syndrome/nephrosis (42,480), and essential hypertension/renal disease (23,076), which totals to 215,630.
d. The sum of those due to stroke (150,074), nephritis/nephritic syndrome/nephrosis (42,480), and essential hypertension/renal disease (23,076), plus some unknown portion of those due to heart disease (652,486), in which the total is somewhere between 215,630 and 868,116.
e. All 2,397,615 (except the 414,674 residual deaths) were caused by salt because a) all of them are dead, and b) all of them had to have eaten some salt at some point in their life.
