Prevention
What Diseases Kill Us (Mortality) and How to Stop Them
The leading causes of death in Australia in 2021 were:
Cardiovascular diseases: Total: 24.4%
Ischemic heart disease (16.6%)
Cerebrovascular disease (5.3%),
Hypertensive diseases (1.3%)
Other heart diseases (1.2%)
How to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Quit smoking.
Adopt a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats.
Increase physical activity aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.
Control of blood pressure through lifestyle modifications and medications, if necessary.
Manage diabetes through lifestyle modifications and medications, if necessary.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Limit alcohol intake.
Reducing stress through techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, and exercise can significantly reduce the risk of CVD.
Managing cholesterol levels through lifestyle modifications and medications, if necessary, can significantly reduce the risk of CVD.
Regular check-ups with a healthcare professional can help identify and manage risk factors for CVD.
Cancers: Total: 18.7%
Tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer (4.4%),
Colorectal cancer (3.4%)
Breast cancer (2.4%)
Pancreatic cancer (1.8%)
Prostate cancer (1.6%)
Lymphoma (1.2%)
Leukemia (1.1%)
Liver cancer (1.1%)
Ovarian cancer (0.9%)
Kidney and renal pelvis cancer (0.7%)
How to reduce the risk of cancer
Lung
Quit smoking
Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke
Limit alcohol consumption
Eat a healthy diet
Regular exercise
Reduce exposure to air pollution
Avoid exposure to workplace carcinogens
Get screened for lung cancer with imaging if appropriate
Get vaccinated for HPV and Hep B
Manage chronic lung diseases like COPD and asthma
Colorectal
Healthy diet
Healthy weight
Regular physical activity
Limit alcohol
Quit smoking
Regular screening
Manage diabetes
Reduce exposure to air pollution
Take aspirin if appropriate
Avoid certain chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Breast cancer
Regular physical activity can reduce risk by 20-30%
Healthy diet
Healthy weight
Limit alcohol. Moderate drinking (1 drink per day) increases risk by 7%.
Breastfeeding reduces risk
Regular screening with mammograms
Avoid environmental toxins such as pesticides.
Avoid unnecessary exposure to ionising radiation through medical imaging
Genetic counselling and testing if a strong family history
Pancreatic cancer
Quit smoking
Healthy weight
Healthy diet
Limit alcohol
Manage diabetes
Exercise regularly
Avoid environmental toxins like pesticides
Get vaccinated against Hepatitis B
Consider genetic counselling and get screened if high risk due to family history
Prostate cancer
Healthy diet. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and low in saturated and trans fats, can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 10-20%
Healthy weight. Having a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) increases risk by 10 to 20%
Regular exercise. Reduces risk by 10 to 30%.
Limit red meat and processed meat. Reduce risk by 10 to 25%.
Consuming more fish, particularly fatty fish high in omega-3 fatty acids reduces risk by 10 to 20%.
Get adequate vitamin D. Higher levels of vitamin D have been linked to a 15 to 25% reduction.
Limit alcohol. Heavy alcohol consumption increases risk by 20 to 30%.
Manage diabetes reduced risk 10 to 20%.
Consider regular prostate screening may benefit men at higher risk of the disease.
Lymphoma
A healthy weight reduces risk by 10 to 20%
Healthy diet. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in processed foods and sugary drinks can reduce risk by 15 to 30%.
Regular exercise reduces risk by 10 to 20%
Quit smoking reduces risk by 20 to 30%
Limit alcohol. Heavy drinking increases risk by 10 to 30%
Avoid exposure to pesticides and chemicals. Exposure increases risk by 10 to 20%.
Manage autoimmune diseases. Certain autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus have been linked to lymphoma.
Consider regular check-ups
Leukemia
Quit smoking reduced risk by 30 to 50%
Limit alcohol. Heavy alcohol consumption increases risk by 10 to 20%
Avoid radiation exposure. High-level of exposure increase risk.
Avoid exposure to chemicals and toxins.
Healthy weight. Reduces risk by 10 to 20%.
Healthy diet. Reduces risk by 10 to 20%
Exercise regularly reduces risk by 10% to 20%
Consider regular checkups
Liver
Limit alcohol. Heavy alcohol consumption increases risk by 50 to 80%.
Healthy weight. Overweight and obese individuals have a 40 to 90% higher risk.
Exercise regularly. Reduces risk by 20 to 40%.
Manage diabetes. Diabetics have a 30 to 70% higher risk.
Healthy diet. Reduces risk by 20 to 40%.
Avoid exposure to toxins. Exposure to certain toxins, such as aflatoxins found in mouldy peanuts and corn, has been linked to increased risk.
Quit smoking. Smokers had a 30 to 50% higher risk.
Consider regular checkups.
Ovarian Cancer
Oral contraception use can reduce risk by 50%
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Women who have one full-term pregnancy have a 30% lower risk.
Healthy diet
Regular exercise reduces risk by 20 to 30%
Kidney
Quit smoking reduces risk by 20 to 30%
Healthy weight. Every 1-point increase in Body Mass Index is associated with a 4% increase in kidney cancer.
Regular exercise reduces risk by 20 to 30%
Healthy diet reduces risk by 25 to 30%
Limit alcohol. Heavy alcohol intake is a risk factor.
Cervical
HPV vaccination
Regular cervical screening tests every 5 years
Quit smoking. Smokers have a 60% increased risk of cervical cancer.
Practice safe sex. Condoms can reduce the transmission of HPV.
Uterine
Healthy weight. Obesity accounts for up to 40% of uterine cancer cases. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risk of developing uterine cancer by 60%.
Regular exercise. Women who exercise 30 minutes a day have a 30 to 40% lower risk of developing uterine cancer.
Healthy diet. Diets high in saturated fats and sugar have been linked to an increased risk of uterine cancer.
Quit smoking
Limit alcohol intake. Women who consume more than 1 drink per day have a 20% higher risk of uterine cancer.
Get vaccinated. HPV infection is a risk factor.
Neurological and mental health disorders: Total: 7.1%
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease (5.6%)
Parkinson's disease (0.6%)
Motor neuron disease (0.2%)
How to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases
Respiratory diseases: Total: 6.5%
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (3.5%)
Pneumonia (2.8%)
Influenza (0.2%)
How to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases
Accidents and injury: Total: 3.6%
Suicide (1.3%)
Transport accidents (1.0%)
Accidental falls (0.6%)
How to reduce the risk of accidents and injury
Endocrine and metabolic diseases: Total: 3.6%
Diabetes mellitus (2.0%)
How to reduce the risk of metabolic diseases
Digestive diseases: Total: 1.3%
Cirrhosis of the liver (0.8%)
Inflammatory bowel disease (0.2%)
Peptic ulcer disease (0.1%)
Infectious and parasitic diseases: Total: 1.7%
Sepsis (1.1%)
HIV/AIDS (0.1%)
Musculoskeletal disorders: Total: 1.0%
Osteoarthritis (0.7%)
Rheumatoid arthritis (0.1%)
Genitourinary diseases: Total: 1.3%
Prostate disease (0.6%)
Urological cancers (0.4%)
Female genital cancers (0.3%)
What Diseases Hurt Us (Mordbidity)
The leading causes of disability, harm and suffering in Australia in 2019 were:
Musculoskeletal conditions - Total 29.6%
Osteoarthritis and related disorders - 13.6%
Back problems - 9.0%
Rheumatoid arthritis and related disorders - 2.8%
Osteoporosis - 1.7%
Other musculoskeletal disorders - 2.5%
Mental and behavioural disorders - Total 20.0%
Psychotic disorders - 3.3%
Intellectual disability - 2.9%
Depressive disorders - 2.7%
Autism spectrum disorder - 2.0%
Anxiety disorders - 1.9%
Alcohol and substance use disorders - 1.7%
Dementia - 1.4%
Bipolar and related disorders - 1.3%
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - 0.8%
Eating disorders - 0.7%
Circulatory system diseases - Total 9.4%
Ischaemic heart disease - 3.6%
Cerebrovascular disease (stroke) - 2.2%
Other heart diseases - 1.8%
Hypertension - 1.4%
Venous disease (such as deep vein thrombosis) - 0.5%
Peripheral arterial disease - 0.4%
Other circulatory diseases - 0.5%
Nervous system diseases - Total 8.7%
Stroke - 2.2%
Dementia - 1.4%
Parkinson's disease - 0.5%
Epilepsy - 0.5%
Respiratory system diseases - Total 6.8%
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - 3.0%
Asthma - 2.4%
Other respiratory diseases - 1.4%
Injury - Total 6.1%
Falls - 2.7%
Transport accidents - 1.3%
Self-harm and violence - 0.7%
Other unintentional injuries - 0.6%
Poisoning, including drug overdoses - 0.5%