美國人均壽命連續兩年下滑，專家說這值得關注
美國國家衛生統計中心 21 日發布的報告顯示，美國人口的壽命平均預期為 78.6 歲，比上一年的統計數據下降 0.1 歲，連續兩年下滑。
上一次出現連續下降還要追溯到 1962 年和 1963 年。
需要明確的是，這裏我們說的人口平均壽命都屬於“預測值”，人口統計學家通過建立預測模型，取部分有代表性的樣本，每年入戶觀察還活著的某年齡段的人口數量，這一年還活著的概率，推算出生命表。統計已經死亡的實際年齡並不能推算出現在活著的人的預期壽命，因此不具有現世意義。
世界衛生組織認為：人的壽命長短，有 60% 取決於自己，10% 取決於遺傳，8% 取決於醫療條件，7% 取決於氣候因素，而有 15% 取決於社會因素，這與各國的經濟、社會發展程度有關。
以美國為例，78.6 歲屬於什麽水平？和其他發達國家相比，確實是低了一些。意大利、法國、加拿大、英國、德國的人口平均壽命預期都超過 80 歲，最長壽的是日本人，國民平均壽命為 83.8 年（2015 年中國的人口平均壽命預期為 75.99 歲，供參考）。
美國國家衛生統計中心的死亡和預防統計處主管鮑勃?安德森認為，“不能認為這是一種趨勢，因為趨勢至少需要兩個以上的數據點支持”。但他也承認，連續兩年下降是值得關注的。
從報告中論述的主要死亡原因來看，排在前十的幾乎沒有變化，並且占死亡總數的 74.1%。但其中七項（心髒病、癌症、慢性下呼吸道疾病、中風、糖尿病、流行性感冒、肺炎、腎髒疾病）的占比在下降，意外傷害、阿爾茲海默症和自殺率的死亡比例增加。
其中藥物過量（被歸類於意外傷害）被認為是一個重要的變動因素，去年有 63600 美國人因為藥物濫用死亡。2014 年- 2016 年期間因為嗑藥過度導致的死亡以每年 18% 的速度上升，而在 2006 年- 2014 年之間，這一數據為 3%。美國總統特朗普在今年十月說這已經上升到國家危機的層麵了。
“沒人見識過像現在（那麽壞）的情況，作為美國人，我們不能再這麽放任下去，”特朗普在一次電視講話中表示，“是時候將社區從毒品中解放出來，我們要做終結類鴉片（opioid）藥物流行的一代，我們能做到。”非常特朗普式的發言。
問題主要出在年輕人和中年人身上，從報告的人群分析看，美國的老年人群體壽命更長，主要是年輕人和中年人群的高死亡率拉低了整體數據。
題圖來源：GIPHY
Life expectancy in the U.S. is falling — and drug overdose deaths are soaring
Life expectancy in the U.S. has fallen for the second year in a row, the first time it’s dropped for two consecutive years in more than half a century.
People born in the U.S. in 2016 could expect to live 78.6 years on average, down from 78.7 the year before, according to a new report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most common cause of death: heart disease.
The report also found death rates — calculated from the number of deaths per 100,000 people — actually rose among young adults between 2015 and 2016. And while the authors didn’t draw a direct link, another report also released Thursday by the CDC found an estimated 63,600 people died of drug overdoses in 2016. Two-thirds of those deaths were caused by opioids. Adults between the ages of 25 and 54 had the highest rate of drug overdose death.
Here’s a look at the findings:
Most common causes of death
Heart disease was the leading cause of death, followed by cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease, and suicide.
One key point: Unintentional injuries climbed to the third leading cause of death in 2016, swapping spots with chronic lower respiratory diseases. It’s worth noting that most drug overdose deaths are classified as unintentional injuries.
MEGAN THIELKING / STAT. SOURCE: MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES, 2016. NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS.Black men are dying at alarmingly high rates
Life expectancy isn’t falling for women — just for men. Life expectancy for women at birth is 81.1 years, compared to 76.1 years for men.
The death rate for the general population actually declined slightly in 2016, but that drop wasn’t seen across all racial and ethnic groups. Death rates among black men climbed 1 percent in 2016, while death rates among white women actually fell 1 percent. There weren’t any big changes in death rates among black women, white men, or Hispanic men or women.
MEGAN THIELKING / STAT. SOURCE: MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES, 2016. NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS.Drug overdose deaths continue to climb
Drug death rates are increasing much faster than they have in recent years. Overdose death rates climbed roughly 10 percent per year between 1999 and 2006. Then there was a relative lull: Between 2006 and 2014, they increased roughly 3 percent each year.
But from 2014 to 2016, death rates tied to drug overdoses jumped 18 percent each year.
MEGAN THIELKING / STAT. SOURCE: DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1999–2016. NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS.Deaths due to synthetic opioids are rising
The rate of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone — a category that includes fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol — doubled between 2015 and 2016. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving natural and semisynthetic opioids, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, also rose, while overdoses involving methadone declined.
MEGAN THIELKING / STAT. SOURCE: DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1999–2016. NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS.