Recent declines in life expectancy at birth in the United States

In the United States, the trend in life expectancy at birth since 1950 has generally been upward in response to improving mortality. These improvements have been driven largely by declining death rates due to cardiovascular diseases and cancer. While the increase in life expectancy at birth during this period has not been wholly monotonic, the few intermittent declines in life expectancy have generally been small and limited to a single year, after which the upward trend has resumed.  These declines have generally been the result of severe and/or pervasive seasonal influenza.  More recently, however, the United States has experienced declining life expectancy.  Life expectancy at birth declined a total of 0.3 years from 2014-2017.  The change in life expectancy at birth is analyzed using Arriaga’s decomposition method.  Factors in this decline include increasing mortality due to unintentional injuries, especially drug overdoses, and suicide.  Also important is the recent (since 2011) attenuation of the decline in cardiovascular disease mortality, especially heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases.