Heart disease, stroke and diabetes leading cause of death and disability worldwide: The Lancet

Noncommunicable diseases NCDs such as heart disease stroke and diabetes are the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide according to a new study published in the journal The Lancet on Monday October 13The study based on the latest analysis of Global Burden of Disease GBD and also presented at the World Health Summit in Berlin showed that the causes of death are shifting from infectious to NCDs which now account for nearly twothirds of the worlds total mortality and morbidityIschemic heart disease stroke and diabetes were identified as the leading causes of mortality and morbidity across the globe including in India This was followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lower respiratory infections and neonatal disordersWhile diarrhoeal diseases were the leading cause of deaths in 1990 with an agestandardised mortality rate ASMR of 30053 per lakh population in 2023 ischaemic heart disease caused the maximum deaths with an ASMR rate of 12782 per lakh populationCovid19 the leading cause of deaths in 2021 plunged to the 20th place in 2023 followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lower respiratory infections and neonatal disorders the study showedNotably nearly half of all deaths and disability could be prevented by modifying some of the leading risk factors such as reducing high levels of blood sugar and high body mass index BMI said the researchersThe rapid growth in the worlds ageing population and evolving risk factors have ushered in a new era of global health challenges said Dr Christopher Murray Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation IHME at the University of Washington School of MedicineThe evidence presented in the Global Burden of Disease study is a wakeup call urging government and health care leaders to respond swiftly and strategically to the disturbing trends that are reshaping public health needs he addedThe study produced estimates for 375 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors by age and sex globally analysing data from 204 countries and territories and 660 subnational locations from 1990 to 2023The researchers found that despite population growth and ageing the 2023 global agestandardised mortality rate has declined 67 per cent since 1950 and all countries and territories marked declinesGlobal life expectancy returned to prepandemic levels at 763 years for females and 715 years for males which is more than 20 years higher than in 1950 The number of infant deaths also declined globallyDespite the progress the largest increase in deaths was registered among adolescents and young adults mainly due to suicide drug overdose and high quantities of alcoholLead exposure air pollution and heat continued to have a more significant impact on global healthAlarmingly mental health disorders rose steeply with anxiety disorders increasing by 63 per cent and depressive disorders by 26 per cent the study showedIn addition sexual abuse and intimate partner violence were identified as preventable contributors to depression anxiety and other health consequencesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever