The chances of coming down with a life-threatening disease change in some surprising ways across someone’s life span, according to the editors of Consumer Reports On Health.

CR On Health’s analysis of the age-related mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources found, for example, that firearms kill more teenagers than all natural causes combined; that even people older than 65 need to worry about HIV infection; and that while cancer is a concern throughout life, the types of cancers someone needs to be aware of – and the preventive steps that should be taken – differ depending on age.

Consumer Reports on Health identified some of the latest age-related mortality statistics and preventative steps to lower your risks:

¢ Cancer. This disease is the main cause of death among people 45 to 64 and is the second-leading killer for most other age groups. But the particular cancers that pose the greatest risk shift over time, sometimes also depending on gender. Death from leukemia, for example, is more likely in males younger than 39 and females up to 20. Breast cancer is a special concern for women 20 to 59, particularly in the years around menopause when the levels of estrogen and progesterone change.

Risk reduction – Under 20: Don’t smoke, test your house for radon, use sunscreen. Age 20 to 49: Continue healthful habits, and lose excess weight. Age 50 to 69: Consider vitamin D supplements if you don’t regularly consume fatty fish or fortified milk. Age 70 and over: Continue healthful habits.

¢ Cardiovascular disease. This illness is usually viewed as a bane of middle and old age, but CR On Health notes that it’s also a leading killer of younger people. Under 30, such deaths often occur during vigorous exercise among people with previously undiagnosed heart abnormalities.

Risk reduction – Under 20: Don’t smoke, check cholesterol every five years and blood pressure at every doctor visit. Age 20 to 49: Consider measuring C-reactive protein, a marker of arterial inflammation, starting at about age 40. Age 50 to 69: Continue healthful habits. Age 70 and over: Continue healthful habits.

¢ Infections. Vaccines against one-time common killers such as measles and polio have all but eliminated infectious disease as a leading cause of death among children in the United States. As someone ages, though, such risks become somewhat more common.

Risk reduction – Under 20: Get all recommended childhood vaccines. Age 20 to 49: Make sure that you’re up-to-date on vaccines. Age 50 to 69: Get annual flu shot. Get pneumonia shot if over 65. Age 70 and over: Avoid hospital-based infections by insisting that healthcare providers wash their hands and asking if urinary catheters can be removed within 48 hours.

¢ Mental health. Firearm-related deaths among teens are increasingly likely to be suicides, according to CR On Health. At every age, people who have suffered from depression or other mental illnesses or experience substance abuse are more likely to die by suicide. So it’s important to recognize and treat depression as early as possible.

Risk reduction – Under 20: Use antidepressants with caution to reduce possible increased risk of suicide. Age 20 to 49: Consume alcohol moderately, if at all. Age 50 to 69: If you take antidepressants, take steps to protect your bones because anti-depressants can weaken them. Age 70 and over: Be alert to agitation and irritability as symptoms of depression in older people.