Leading Causes of Deaths

Key Messages
Overall
By Sex
By Age Group 
Technical Notes

Key Messages

• Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) continues to be the leading cause of death in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario, responsible for one-in-seven deaths.
• There are different patterns in the leading causes of death for males and females, with significantly more females dying of dementia and Alzheimer disease and significantly more males dying from IHD.
• There are also different patterns in the leading causes of death by age, with one-in-three youth (10-19 years) deaths from suicide and one-in-five young adult (20-44 years) deaths from unintentional poisonings. Chronic disease related deaths are the leading causes for adults 45 years and older.

Overall

Over the five years between 2014 and 2018, there were 23,744 deaths among residents of Simcoe Muskoka. The number one cause of death in Simcoe Muskoka during that period was ischaemic heart disease (IHD), which was listed as the primary cause for over 3,250 deaths and accounted for 14% of all deaths. Other leading causes of death included dementia and Alzheimer disease, cancer of lungs and bronchus, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, cancer of the colon rectum and anus and diabetes. The leading causes of death for Ontario during this same time period were quite similar to what was observed in Simcoe Muskoka as depicted below.

By Sex

In Simcoe Muskoka between 2014 and 2018, the leading cause of death for males was IHD accounting for 16% of dealths, followed by cancer of lungs and bronchus and dementia and Alzheimer disease each account for 7%. The leading cause of death among women for this time period was dementia and Alzheimer disease, accounting for 13% of deaths, followed by IHD (12%) and cancer of the lung and bronchus (7%). Figure two compares the leading causes of deaths for males and females in Simcoe Muskoka between 2014 and 2018.

By Age Group

In Simcoe Muskoka between 2014 and 2018, there were 111 deaths among infants less than one year of age. The leading causes of death among infants were perinatal conditions and congenital anomalies, which accounted for nearly 80% of all infant deaths. Deaths among children between one and nine years of age were rare, with only 27 recorded in all of Simcoe Muskoka over this five-year period. During the same five-year interval the leading causes of deaths among youth (10 to 19 years) were intentional self-harm (34%) and transport accidents (18%). Unintentional poisoning was the leading cause of death among young adults (20 to 44 years) account for one-in-five, of the 701 deaths among this age group. The leading causes of death among older adults (45 to 64 years of age) were IHD and cancer of the lung and bronchus, which accounted for 14% and 10% (respectively) of the 3,604 deaths that occurred in this age group over these five years. The leading causes of death among younger seniors (65 to 74 years) were cancer of the lung and bronchus and IHD, which accounted for 13% and 12% (respectively) of the 4,373 deaths. Seniors aged 75 years and older in Simcoe Muskoka experienced the most deaths between 2014 and 2018 at 14,868. The leading cause of deaths among these older seniors was IHD, which was responsible for 15% of all deaths. Table one below provides a summary of the leading causes of death, by age group, for Simcoe Muskoka between 2014 and 2018 (combined).

Leading Causes of Death, Simcoe Muskoka Residents, by Age Group, 2014 to 2018 (Combined)

Technical Notes

The leading causes of death groupings used in this page were based on the work of Roberto Becker (et al) with modifications discussed and approved by the Leading Cause Group subcommittee of the Core Indicators Working Group, Association of Public Health Epidemiologist in Ontario (APHEO).

Date last updated: June 14, 2023