Chronic illness deaths spike in India, women affected more: Lancet Study

India is among the countries where chances of dying from a chronic disease such as cancer and heart disease have increased among both men and women, even though the rates have shown a decline in four out of every five countries in the last decade, a global analysis published in The Lancet journal shows.

Among men and women in India, women have been affected by a bigger increase in risk compared to men, researchers, led by those from the UK’s Imperial College London, said.

“Deaths from most causes of chronic disease increased in India, with heart disease and diabetes contributing heavily,” they said.

The team worked with researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO), among others, to estimate the risk of dying from chronic diseases for 185 countries and territories.

“From 2010 to 2019, the probability of dying from an NCD (non-communicable disease) between birth and 80 years of age decreased in 152 (82 per cent) of 185 countries for females and in 147 (79 per cent) countries for males; it increased in the remaining 33 (18 per cent) countries for females and 38 (21 per cent) countries for males,” the authors wrote.

They added, “Among the largest countries — regions other than high-income western countries — non-communicable diseases mortality declined for both sexes in China, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia and Brazil, and increased for both sexes in India and Papua New Guinea.”

Across most countries, deaths due to cancer and heart disease — including heart attacks and strokes — had reduced, which were the biggest contributors to declines in death rates from chronic disease, the researchers said.

However, increase in deaths from dementia, neuropsychiatric conditions such as alcohol use disorder, and cancers of the pancreas and liver counteracted gains, they said.

The team said that nations have pledged and planned to improve treatment of chronic diseases, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature mortality from the conditions by one-third by 2030.

The study is the first global analysis to track changes in death rates linked to chronic conditions at a national level and benchmark progress against historical performance, the researchers said.

They said that ahead of the upcoming fourth high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, the study’s findings show an urgent need for a greater investment in tackling chronic diseases and in ensuring approaches effectively reach people most in need.

On September 25, heads of states and government will meet at the UN General Assembly to set a new vision for preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases, promoting mental health and wellbeing towards 2030 and beyond, the WHO said.