**Deaths from common diseases drop during COVID-19, researchers find**
* Study looked at deaths from heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and chronic lower respiratory disease
* Researchers found that deaths from these diseases declined by 5.2% in 2020
* The decline was most pronounced in deaths from heart disease, which dropped by 10.5%
* Researchers say the decline in deaths is likely due to a number of factors, including decreased access to healthcare, changes in lifestyle, and increased awareness of the importance of public health measures
**Deaths from common diseases declined during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.**
The study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at deaths from heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and chronic lower respiratory disease in the United States in 2020. Researchers found that deaths from these diseases declined by 5.2% compared to 2019.
The decline was most pronounced in deaths from heart disease, which dropped by 10.5%. Deaths from cancer and stroke also declined, by 3.0% and 4.1%, respectively. Deaths from diabetes and chronic lower respiratory disease remained stable.
Researchers say the decline in deaths is likely due to a number of factors, including decreased access to healthcare, changes in lifestyle, and increased awareness of the importance of public health measures.
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