What Are "Natural Causes of Death"?

What are natural causes of death? "Natural causes" is a term used to describe the manner by which a person dies. Dying by natural causes typically means an accident or force did not cause the death. This term can also describe a person dying of old age when the vital organs naturally stop working. "Unnatural causes," on the other hand, include accidents, suicides, and homicides. 

Most people die by natural causes, with the leading cause being coronary artery disease (CAD). Read on to learn what death by natural causes means, as well as some examples. 

What Are "Natural Causes"?

Dying of natural causes is very common. That's because the term "natural causes" is a really wide term that can be anything that was not an accident or affected by a force. "Unnatural causes," such as accidents, suicides, and homicides, make up less than 10% of total deaths.

There's some nuance here. A heart attack, cancer, and infections could be "natural," given they happen to people without any outside force. It's important to point out that "dying of natural causes" is not a medical term. The term simply means that nothing sudden or severe happened.

"Natural causes" is also used when someone dies of old age due to a general loss of strength, energy, and appetite over time. Dying of natural causes can be similar to a car shutting down after years of use: Your body slows down and stops, and essential organs stop working.

What Is the Most Common Cause of Natural Death?

The most common cause of natural death is ischemic heart disease, or coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD occurs if the arteries that supply blood to the heart harden and narrow. Plaque and cholesterol build-up in arteries typically causes CAD. Nearly 16% of the world's total deaths are caused by CAD.

The second and third leading causes of natural death are stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A loss of blood flow to the brain causes stroke. COPD is a group of lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that make it hard to breathe. Stroke makes up 11% of total deaths, while COPD makes up 6%.

Manners vs. Causes of Death

The cause of death is the immediate cause of death, such as CAD, stroke, or COPD. The manner of death, in contrast, is how the person died. A healthcare provider will indicate a manner on a death certificate. These include natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined. For example, a person's cause of death may be a stroke, which would be considered a natural manner of death.

A death certificate will state more than whether a death was natural or not. The certificate will indicate the immediate or final cause of death and any underlying causes or health conditions that led to the death.

Coroners typically come to this conclusion in the absence of an autopsy or known cause of death. An autopsy, along with other testing, provides information to help determine the cause and manner of death when it's unclear. 

A Quick Review

What it means to die of natural causes is not always clear. The term can mean there was not a health condition or accident that caused death but a combination of factors. "Natural causes" are most likely to be listed as the cause of death for older adults whose organs have slowly worn down over time and come to a stop.