The Life Expectancy In USA Is Falling, Owing To Suicides And Drug Abuse

According to data released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average life expectancy in the US (United States) again fell last year (2017) by one-tenth of a year, slipping to 78.6 years, as reported by Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

This fall has been attributed to the highest annual increase in suicides in almost in a decade and the rise in opioid-related deaths in the country. Medical ailments like Influenza, pneumonia and diabetes also contributed to the fall in life expectancy.

“The continuation of this trend is a warning for all of us that our country has not found a way of addressing the profound needs of the people who are dying. While the economy may be recovering at the macro level, it’s very uncertain whether it’s affecting the lives of these people,” said Eric Caine, a professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Over the past few years, the US economy is experiencing a boom, with unemployment rates falling drastically.

While drug overdose has increased by 255 per cent between 1999 and 2017, the suicide rates have risen by as much as 33 per cent in the same period. “These sobering statistics are a wake-up call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable,” said Dr Robert Redfield, the CDC's director.