This section of healthelinks focuses on diseases and health conditions which are major problems in Louisiana. The list is based on 2006 Louisiana Health Report Card", the annual report of the LA Department of Health, Office of Public Health.

“Of the total 41,942 deaths to Louisiana residents in 2004, the leading causes were: diseases of the heart; malignant neoplasms (cancer); cerebrovascular disease (stroke); accidents; and diabetes mellitus.  63.4% of all deaths in Louisiana were attributable to these five causes.

The top four causes – diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular disease, and accidents – together account for 59.3% of total deaths.  There was no variation observed between the years 2004 and 2003 with regard to leading causes of death.  In fact, these four causes have consistently been the leading causes of death in Louisiana for the past 20 years, though the specific order has alternated.  The fifth-ranked cause has shown more variation, shifting between diabetes, chronic lower respiratory disease, and influenza and pneumonia.

Although the last two decades have seen a considerable downward trend in diseases of the heart, these conditions remain Louisiana's number one cause of death.  The 2004 crude death rate of 238.8 per 100,000 population was slightly lower than the 2003 rate of 254.4 deaths per 100,000 population.  Rounding out the top ten causes of death in the state in 2003 were: diabetes mellitus; chronic lower respiratory diseases; Alzheimer's disease, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis; influenza and pneumonia; and septicemia.

The leading causes of death in Louisiana were determined by ranking the crude death rates from the highest to lowest, and then adjusting these rates for age.  Once adjusted, the top five cause-specific, death rates for the state were found to be the same for both 2004 and 2003.  The causes in question were: