Pneumonia, or infections of the lung, and suicide have become serious threats to the health of Taipei residents, according to statistics on the major causes of death for last year released by the Taipei City Department of Health on Monday.
A sharp increase in suicide was noticed among people aged between 45 and 64 in Taipei last year, director of the city's statistics division Huang Shu-yun (黃琡雲) told the Taipei Times yesterday. Huang, however, was unable to explain why suicide was becoming more prominent among this age group.
The death rate from suicide in the city last year also grew by 35.32 percent -- the greatest of all of the major causes of death, according to the department.
More men committed suicide than women last year, Huang said, adding that male suicides outnumbered female ones by a ratio of six to one.
Huang also said that pneumonia was a major cause of death for those aged over 85 last year.
"This may have something to do with the aging population," Huang said. "But the reasons of the cause of death may vary." Pneumonia among the city's younger population, however, remains rare, with just 19 youngsters under 24 years of age last year dying of the illness, Huang said.
Cancer remains the largest killer of Taipei residents, accounting for 30 percent of the total number of deaths, the department said.
"On average, 12 residents died of cancer every day last year," the department said.
The number of men who died from cancer of the esophagus grew by 30.28 percent last year, the department added. The death rate for liver and lung cancer among male residents, however, dropped by about 10 percent over the previous year, according to the department.
Death rates for pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer in Taipei women also decreased last year, while breast cancer remains the biggest killer of women in the city, the department said.
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