Major Causes of Death in China

The epidemiologic analysis of deaths in China by He et al. (Sept. 15 issue)1 suggests a change in pattern toward that in Western societies: heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease are now listed as the top three causes of death. However, respiratory diseases are clearly underrepresented in their report, because of the way the causes of death were classified. The conclusions of the authors may perpetuate the chronic underrecognition of lung diseases and lessen the pressure on governments to promote their prevention and management.