Number of U.S. deaths plunges

In a powerful testament to medical advances, 50,000 fewer people died in America in 2004 than the year before -- the biggest plunge in more than 60 years, the federal government announced Wednesday.

Deaths in Minnesota also fell off during the same time period -- 591 fewer people than the year before-- continuing a decline that had begun in 2002.

More striking was the state's steep drop in its age-adjusted mortality rate. In 2003, there 712 deaths per 100,000 population. In 2004, it was 691.

Nationally, the rate was 801 deaths per 100,000 population.

"You guys are doing really well," said the report's lead author, statistician Arialdi Minino of the Maryland-based National Center for Health Statistics.

Minnesota's temporary death lull is affecting its funeral industry, said Mark Stohlberg, president of the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association.

"This can't go on forever," Stohlberg said. "There's a finite point here that we're going to hit. And when it does, there may be a critical shortage of people in funeral services" who haven't managed to last through the slow years.

Nationally, the 2 percent decrease in American deaths came as a shock to many. The nation's population is getting older and getting fatter. Plus, the number of U.S. residents continues to grow.

Some experts raised concerns that the preliminary numbers may not hold up when a final report is released later this year. Federal officials, though, said the statistics are based on a review of about 90 percent of all U.S. deaths, and were consistent enough to be reported.

Medical intervention key

The center said national drops in the death rates for heart disease, cancer and stroke accounted for most of the decline.

"We were surprised by the sharpness of the decrease. It's kind of historical," Minino said.

"The Number 1 reason is probably technology," said Dr. Stanton Shanedling, supervisor of the heart disease and stroke prevention unit of the Minnesota Department of Health. "We're able to intervene with people having a heart attack more quickly and efficiently.

"Number 2 is pharmaceuticals. A lot of people are taking things like Lipitor, or aspirin, which also helps -- a little bit of a blood thinner, putting less stress on the heart."

Lipitor is a drug that helps lower blood cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

But behind the encouraging medical news, other experts warned, is a looming crisis in health care costs.

"We're getting these results from very expensive high-tech medicine," said Edina-based demographer Hazel Reinhardt. "The issue is whether we're going to be able to continue to pay for these kinds of things in the future, as the number of patients grows and the ratio between them and the number of people in the workforce, paying taxes, changes. That, I think, is the challenge.

"We're alive, and more than just alive -- our quality of life has improved. But how many thousands of dollars of medicine have we consumed? It's a pretty high cost."

U.S. deaths ordinarily rise slightly each year. The last decline in annual deaths occurred in 1997 -- 445 fewer than 1996, Minino said.

But the preliminary number of U.S. deaths recorded for 2004 was 2,398,343, a decline of 49,945 from 2003.

The number of deaths has not dropped so steeply since 1938, when there were about 69,000 fewer deaths than in 1937.

"We will not make much of this until the final data come out," said Elizabeth Ward, director of surveillance research for the American Cancer Society.

Nationally, age-adjusted mortality rates fell to a record low of 801 deaths per 100,000 population in 2004, down from almost 833 deaths per 100,000 in 2003.

Heart disease accounted for 27 percent of U.S. deaths in 2004. Cancer was second, at about 23 percent, and strokes were third, at 6 percent.

Life expectancy up

The age-adjusted mortality rate for these three disease categories dropped from 2003 to 2004. The flu season for 2004 was also milder than in 2003, resulting in a more than 7 percent drop in the influenza death rate, Minino noted.

The death rates for 11 other leading causes of death also declined, with only Alzheimer's disease, high blood pressure and kidney disease linked to high blood pressure inching up.

The government also reported that a baby born in 2004 could expect to live to nearly 78, an increase of almost six months from 2003. Women now have a life expectancy of 80.4, up from 80.1. Male life expectancy is 75.2, up from 74.8.

The life expectancy for whites -- 78.3 -- was up only slightly from the previous year. The increase for blacks was larger, rising from 72.7 to 73.3.

Japan had the highest life expectancy, 82 years, among the world's larger nations in 2004, according to World Health Organization statistics. Australia, Iceland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland have a life expectancy of 81.

Still, experts said, it's progress for Americans.

"Overall, I believe, people are getting smarter," Shanedling said, "more savvy to signs and symptoms of heart disease, more physically active. When you add it all up over a period of time, you start to see decreases in deaths."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

David Peterson • 612-673-4440