Report: Cancer replaces heart disease as leading cause of death in Israel

Cancer has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death for both Israeli men and women, according to a new Health Ministry report.

The report, for 1998-2004, noted that the number of cancer cases did not increase. However, new treatments and technologies reduced heart disease, making it only the second most frequent cause of death.

The report also noted a sharp rise in mortality from kidney disease, making it the fifth most frequent cause of death in Israel. In 1998, according to the report, the death rate from kidney disease was 13.8 per 100,000 people, but in 2004, that number rose to 28.1 per 100,000 men and 24.9 per 100,000 women. The numbers include all age groups except babies under one year.

As for causes of death among children, the report found that for both genders, accidents were the most common cause of mortality, but cancer was second. Among boys, the third most common cause of death was birth defects, while for girls, it was heart disease.

In the 15-to-24 age group as well, accidents continued to be the most common cause of death for both genders. The second most common cause among boys in this age group was suicide, with 11.9 out of 100,000 boys and young men taking their lives, while the third leading cause of death was murder. For girls in this age group, the second most common cause of death was cancer and the third, suicide.

Tziona Haklai, head of the Health Ministry's data division, said the statistics will help the ministry know where to place the emphasis in opening new preventive programs. "There needs to be more awareness at younger ages of issues like renal function, and the trend toward new treatments and technologies for heart disease will continue," she said.

Haklai noted that in the United States, heart disease is still the main cause of death. She ascribed this to obesity.