Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death globally. A recent study has found that death rates from these chronic diseases have declined worldwide; however, the progress is slowed in the US. The study, led by Imperial College London, is the first to track national mortality trends and also measure its progress against historical performance and regional leaders. The findings are published in The Lancet.
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The new study has found that the death rates from chronic diseases have fallen in four out of five countries around the world in the last decade. But what’s concerning is that the progress has stalled between 2010 and 2019.
Several global and national political pledges and plans were implemented in recent decades to improve the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. This includes the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030.
Chronic diseases are also known as non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These include cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and neurological conditions, among others. According to the WHO, every 2 seconds, someone under the age of 70 dies from an NCD. Over 43 million people died from NCDs globally in 2021, accounting for 75% of non-pandemic-related deaths. Most of these deaths could be prevented through timely, comprehensive, and integrated preventive, diagnostic, curative, and palliative health care services that are accessible and context-appropriate, and through coherent policy, legislative, and regulatory measures, the WHO says. The findings
According to the new study, the death rates from chronic diseases have fallen in 80% of the countries in the last decade. However, in nearly two-thirds of countries, including most high-income nations in Europe, North America, Australasia, and the Pacific, the decline in death rates from 2010 to 2019 was slower compared with the previous decade. The United States was one of the worst-performing high-income countries, experiencing the smallest decrease in risk over 2010-2019.The researchers emphasized that these trends show an urgent need for greater investment in tackling chronic diseases and ensuring approaches effectively reach people most in need. The study comes ahead of the Fourth High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly.
