As the saying goes, the only things that are guaranteed are death and taxes, and there are some causes of death that are more prevalent in Colorado. Across the country, each state has a cause of death that is more common than others, with the most common being cancer and heart disease. Other common ways to go that can be seen across the county are chronic lower respiratory disease, accidents, and stroke.

But there is one thing that Coloradoans die from that is far above the National average. While 136 Coloradoans per 100k die from cancer, and 130 die from heart disease, only 4.6 per 100k die from Atherosclerosis. That may not sound like a lot, however, if you compare that to the national average of 1.7, Colorado is definitely overrepresented. According to the American Heart Association, Atherosclerosis "or hardening of the arteries, is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the arteries. Plaque is made of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood)."

Atherosclerosis is also disproportionately common in North Dakota and Kansas. Every state has a distinctive cause of death, and some even share, except for the following:

District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) - HIV:  11.2 per 100k

Washington State - Alzheimer's Disease: 43.6 per 100k

Indiana - Kidney Disease: 18.7 per 100k

Vermont - Emphysema: 6.9 per 100k

Nebraska - Hypertension: 10.9 per 100k

(Source: PBS)

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