A natural cause of death is a death that is primarily attributed to an illness or an internal malfunction of the body not directly influenced by external forces. For a death to be considered from natural causes, it must exclusively result from a disease or normal aging process.
What are some examples of natural causes of death?
Here are some common natural causes of death:
- Heart disease – Conditions like heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and cardiac arrest that stop the heart from functioning properly.
- Cancer – Uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that can invade and destroy healthy body tissue.
- Cerebrovascular disease – Impaired blood flow to the brain like strokes or aneurysms that damage brain tissue.
- Respiratory illnesses – Diseases like pneumonia, flu, COPD that prevent proper oxygenation of the blood.
- Neurodegenerative disorders – Conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s that impair and destroy nervous system function.
- Diabetes complications – Damage to blood vessels and organs from uncontrolled high blood sugar.
- Kidney failure – Inability of the kidneys to properly filter waste from the blood.
- Infectious diseases – Illnesses caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
- Dementia – Impairment of memory and cognitive function from illness or injury.
- Genetic disorders – Diseases caused by abnormalities in a person’s genome like cystic fibrosis or Huntington’s.
Essentially any disease process or organ dysfunction that occurs naturally without external influence could potentially lead to death and be classified as a natural cause.
What criteria determine a natural cause of death?
For a death to be considered from natural causes, it must meet the following general criteria:
- It is solely attributed to disease or the normal aging process.
- There is an identifiable medical condition that could reasonably result in death.
- There is a lack of evidence that external factors contributed to death.
- The death does not occur suddenly or unexpectedly in someone not seriously ill.
Doctors determine the cause of death by evaluating the person’s medical history, performing an examination of the body, and conducting tests like imaging scans, biopsies, and autopsies. They look for specific physiological abnormalities and disease processes that provide an explanation for death.
What are some examples of unnatural causes of death?
Deaths that are not predominately due to illness or aging are considered unnatural. Here are some examples of unnatural causes of death:
- Accidents – Deaths from events like car crashes, falls, drownings, or accidental overdoses.
- Suicide – Intentional causing of one’s own death like from hanging or gunshot.
- Homicide – Death deliberately caused by another person like murder or manslaughter.
- Adverse effects – Deaths caused by medical errors, treatments, or medications.
- Environmental factors – Death from heat exposure, air pollution, or dangerous chemicals.
- Malnutrition – Starvation from lack of essential nutrition.
- Trauma – Severe bodily injury like internal bleeding from a physical assault.
For these types of deaths, an external cause is identified as the precipitating event leading to demise rather than an internal disease process.
What diseases are the top natural causes of death?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these are the top underlying natural causes of death in the United States:
| Medical Condition | Number of Deaths |
|---|---|
| Heart disease | 690,882 |
| Cancer | 598,932 |
| COVID-19 | 350,831 |
| Accidents | 200,955 |
| Chronic lower respiratory disease | 156,979 |
| Stroke | 150,005 |
| Alzheimer’s disease | 121,499 |
| Diabetes | 102,188 |
| Kidney disease | 87,647 |
| Influenza and pneumonia | 53,544 |
Clearly, heart disease and cancer account for a large proportion of natural cause mortality. However, many common illnesses like diabetes, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s, and kidney failure also contribute significantly to deaths from natural causes.
How does age impact natural causes of death?
Age is a major risk factor for many diseases and natural causes of death. The CDC provides a breakdown of leading natural causes of death by age group:
Ages 1-44
- Accidents
- Suicide
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Homicide
Ages 45-64
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Accidents
- Chronic lower respiratory disease
- Stroke
Ages 65+
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- COVID-19
- Stroke
- Alzheimer’s disease
As shown, cancer and heart disease become much more prominent in older age groups. Accidents account for more deaths in young adults. Factors like a weakened immune system and cellular damage make the elderly more susceptible to chronic illnesses and organ dysfunction.
How are natural causes of death determined?
Determining an exact natural cause of death involves an investigation using:
- Autopsy – Examination of the body, internal organs, and tissues.
- Lab tests – Analysis of blood, urine, vitreous fluid, and cell samples.
- Toxicology screening – Checking for presence of drugs, poisons, toxins.
- Microbiology culture – Identifying infections using body fluid samples.
- Biopsy – Microscopic analysis of small tissue sections.
- Imaging – CT scans, X-rays, MRIs of organs.
- Medical history – Review of chronic and recent health conditions.
- Scene investigation – Assessing environmental factors and evidence.
Doctors may identify a sequence of events like a heart attack triggering an arrhythmia and loss of oxygen to the brain. Or cancer that metastasizes and spreads to compromise essential organ functions. An accurate natural cause is usually multi-factorial.
What is manner of death versus cause of death?
Manner of death refers to the circumstances under which the death occurred, while cause refers to the medical reason someone died. Here are the 5 standard manners of death:
- Natural – Death from disease or aging.
- Accident – Unintentional traumatic death.
- Suicide – Purposeful self-inflicted death.
- Homicide – Death deliberately caused by others.
- Undetermined – Unable to conclusively classify manner.
The cause explains the physiological mechanism while manner indicates the type of external events involved. For example, a cause might be “hypovolemic shock” from blood loss while the manner is “homicide” if due to an assault.
What happens to the body after death from natural causes?
Here is a general overview of the processes that occur after death from natural causes:
- Cardiopulmonary arrest – The heart stops beating and lungs stop breathing.
- Brain cell death – Loss of brain function and consciousness.
- Pallor mortis – Skin becomes pale and blood pools.
- Algor mortis – Body cools to ambient temperature.
- Rigor mortis – Muscles stiffen due to lack of ATP.
- Decomposition – Tissues break down from autolysis and bacteria.
- Putrefaction – Bacteria release gases that cause bloating.
- Liquefaction – Body tissues eventually liquefy.
- Skeletonization – Soft tissues degrade leaving just bones.
The stages and duration of decomposition depend on factors like temperature, moisture, and accessibility to insects. But the process eventually results in a natural breakdown of all bodily tissues.
How are statistics on natural causes of death collected?
In the United States, mortality statistics come from a few major sources:
- Death certificates – Filed for every death and include cause and manner.
- Autopsy reports – Detail forensic medical exam findings.
- Healthcare providers – Report deaths and describe relevant health conditions.
- Public health agencies – Gather data from hospitals, hospices, and care facilities.
- Vital statistics offices – Compile information from death reports.
- National Center for Health Statistics – Collects data nationally from states.
Doctors or medical examiners certify deaths and determine the underlying cause and manner. These feed into national mortality databases that allow analysis of trends and patterns.
What are some international differences in natural causes of death?
While heart disease and cancer are consistently top natural killers worldwide, differences exist between countries in the prevalence of various diseases. For example:
- In Africa, HIV/AIDS remains a leading cause of death not seen in most other regions.
- Malaria is common in developing tropical countries but rare in colder climates.
- In China, stroke claims more lives than heart disease, unlike in Western nations.
- Respiratory infections are a bigger problem in India due to air pollution.
- Lung cancer rates in Japan are higher likely due to smoking habits.
Environment, healthcare access, lifestyle factors, and genetics all contribute to variability in natural causes of death between global populations.
Conclusion
In summary, a natural cause of death stems from disease or normal bodily processes absent external factors. Leading natural causes include heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness, stroke, and diabetes. Doctors determine the exact physiological cause through autopsy, testing, images, medical history, and scene findings. Quality data on natural mortality provides insights to target prevention efforts and resources.