The 5 Leading Causes of Death in New Hampshire Might Surprise You

New Hampshire Seems Healthy

You may know that New Hampshire is a beautiful place to live with many mountains to climb, clean ocean air to breathe, and bike trails to keep residents healthy.

In every part of the state, there are also a number of gardens where you can buy home-grown produce, eggs and in some cases, proteins, a.k.a cows, chickens, duck, bison, and turkey.

So why is heart disease the number one cause of death?

New Hampshire doesn't have any big cities compared to New York or even Massachusetts.  Our state capital, Concord, is a small town even compared to our own Manchester and Nashua, our two biggest cities.

Number One is Heart Disease

Given the information above, it may come to you as a surprise that the number one cause of death in New Hampshire is Heart Disease, according to the CDC.

There are ways to prevent heart disease, according to the American Heart Association, and reducing stress is one of those things.

It's New Hampshire.  No one should have too much stress here. However, if you are reading this and want to jump out of your skin because of how much pressure you have right now, I feel you, and I'm sorry.

Number Two is Cancer

Number 2 is cancer (not so surprising), according to the CDC.  Everyone I know has either had cancer or lost someone to cancer.  It's everywhere.

Number 3 is COVID-19

Number 3 is surprising until you know a bit more about when the information from the CDC was gathered.  The information cited here is from 2021, which explains why COVID-19 is number three on the list.  I suspect that may be lower in later years.

Number 4 is Accidents

Go back to your high school for this one, and remember what they told you in Health Class, wear your seatbelt. Accidents are No. 4, according to the CDC.

Number 5 is Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases

What exactly does that mean?  According to the World Health Organization:

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) affect the airways and other structures of the lungs. Some of the most common are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension. In addition to tobacco smoke, other risk factors include air pollution, occupational chemicals and dusts, and frequent lower respiratory infections during childhood. CRDs are not curable; however, various forms of treatment that help open the air passages and improve shortness of breath can help control symptoms and improve daily  life for people living with these conditions.

You can see the full list and more info about the leading causes of death from the CDC right here.