The leading cause of death for the American citizen is heart disease. According to the CDC, the No. 1 killer is followed by cancer. The rankings have changed little over the years. But over the years, data shows a significant decrease in deaths from heart problems and cancer as fewer people smoke and medications have improved. And yet the the rankings are limited as the report does not separate lung cancer from others. If it were, lung cancer would rank third. The rankings for infant deaths also stayed the same, which found congenital malformations and low birth weight as the leading causes for infant mortality.
