US Pharm. 2009;34(9):8.
Atlanta, GA -- According to mortality statistics recently published by the CDC, life expectancy reached a record high of nearly 78 years and the age-adjusted death rate dropped to a record low of 760.3 deaths per 100,000 Americans. Record life expectancy was reported for both males and females (75.3 years and 80.4 years, respectively); for the first time, life expectancy for black males reached 70 years. Heart disease and cancer accounted for nearly half (48.5%) of all deaths in 2007; the death rate for the fourth leading cause of death, chronic lower respiratory diseases, increased by 1.7%.
