Death remains one of the greatest phenomena in history. Every human being is certain to do die in one way or another. With the increased number of deaths, scientists and healthcare providers have been trying their best in understanding the causes of death to find the best ways to address the situation. The causes of death vary from one age group to another and constantly keep changing. However, understanding and preparing for death is not an easy task particularly due to changes in the causes of death. In the modern-day, there has been a trend in the increase of death as a result of heart disease, lower respiratory infections, drug abuse, and viral diseases which mainly spark an outbreak such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.
Deaths as a result of heart disease have been on increase since World War II. To date, heart disease is the largest cause of death in the adult population. Scientists and doctors have labeled the disease a silent killer. Statistics show that heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the USA for most of the last century (Weir et al. 2016). Cancer has also been a major cause of death in the past only second to the second heart disease. The trend has been the same in the past decade, with more than 1.2 million deaths in 2017 as a result of heart disease and cancer (CDC, 2020). The figures remained the same in the following year. The majority of the people, especially men do not realize that they have heart-related complications or cancer until it is late to start treatment (Meijers & de Boer, 2019). This is because there exist different types of heart diseases and cancers that manifest in different forms. However, scientists attribute heart diseases to lifestyle choices that a person makes, such as an inability to exercise.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In young adults and teenagers, the major causes of death are drug abuse and suicide. The year 2018 reported the largest cause of death in a young adult due to drug overdose. Suicide is also common among young adults (Ashrafioun et al. 2017). In the USA, 2017 and 2018 had increased cases of drug abuse with most cases being a result of opioid use (CDC, 2018). The use of opioids has become a crisis in the USA and there is a link between opioid use disorder (OUD) and suicide. Although there is strong evidence suggesting that there is a link between drug abuse and suicide, especially when there is no suicide note, people who abuse drugs may have psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders which are commonly associated with an increase in suicide risk (Ashrafioun et al. 2017).
Viral diseases have also been another major cause of death in the past three decades. These include HIV/AIDS, flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-1), and Ebola, hepatitis, yellow fever, and influenza. In 2003, a SARS-CoV outbreak spread across twenty-six countries, infecting more than 8000 people and killing more than seven hundred people. In the early 90s and 20s, the HIV pandemic claimed several lives before the USA could come up with Antiretroviral drugs that suppress the virus. In 2020, another case of SARS-CoV reported in the Wuhan District of China. The Virus has so far been reported in different countries.
The world has reported a global pandemic due to the unprecedented number of deaths across the globe. These deaths are as a result of a viral disease, COVID-19. Like other viral infections previously recorded, the COVID-19 has threatened the face of humanity since it lacks a cure (CDC, 2020). Currently, there are more than 1.4 million people infected with COVID-19 and more than 85 thousand deaths as of 8 th April 2020 (WHO, 2020). In the USA, there are currently more than 395 thousand cases of COVID-19 and more than 12 thousand deaths (CDC, 2020). The virus attacks the respiratory systems and is transmitted through contact with droplets of saliva of an infected person. The virus is highly contagious and can stay alive on surfaces for longer periods (WHO, 2020). The disease is new and has no cure, making it difficult to understand and treat.
The changing face of death has virtually taken a toll on everything and everybody. Experts have encouraged people to stay at home and avoid contact with one another (CDC, 2020). Hospitals in worst-hit countries have reported full capacity. There is currently a deficit of medicine, equipment and protective gear for healthcare workers. The countries' healthcare systems have failed to keep up with the changing face of death (WHO, 2020). The numbers of death are overwhelmingly big and countries have had to construct temporary morgues. The stakeholders now rely on technology to cope up with the situation, including examining and testing as a means of reducing transmission to other people.
Conclusion
The increased number of death due to viral diseases, cancer, and other respiratory diseases have virtually overwhelmed the healthcare systems across the globe. To keep up with the changing face of death, healthcare providers constantly encourage people to test or do regular check-ups and examinations. If cancer or heart disease is detected at its earliest stage, healthcare providers can have more options to compart the disease and possibly cure it. Similarly, testing for viral diseases such as respiratory illnesses can help prevent transmission to other people.
References
Ashrafioun L., Bishop T. M, Conner K. R., Pigeon W. R., (2017). Frequency of prescription opioid misuse and suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts. J Psychiatr Res . 92 (1),7.. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28364579
Jiaquan Xu, Sherry L., Kenneth D., & Elizabeth A., (2020). Mortality in the United States, 2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db355-h.pdf
Meijers, W. C., & de Boer, R. A. (2019). Common risk factors for heart failure and cancer. Cardiovascular Research , 115 (5), 844–853. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvz035
Weir, H. K., Anderson, R. N., Coleman King, S. M., Soman, A., Thompson, T. D., Hong, Y., Moller, B., & Leadbetter, S. (2016). Heart Disease and Cancer Deaths - Trends and Projections in the United States, 1969-2020. Preventing chronic disease, 13, E157. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd13.160211
WHO, 2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic: Latest Updates. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
