New Delhi: India is among a small group of countries where the probability of dying from chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes has risen over the past decade, even as most nations recorded a decline, according to a large-scale study published in The Lancet.
The research, led by experts from Imperial College London in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other institutions, assessed the risk of dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across 185 countries between 2010 and 2019.
“Deaths from most causes of chronic disease increased [in India], with heart disease and diabetes contributing heavily,” the authors wrote. While both men and women saw higher risks, the increase was greater among women, the study noted.
Globally, the findings show that from 2010 to 2019, the likelihood of dying from an NCD before the age of 80 dropped in 152 countries (82 per cent) for women and 147 countries (79 per cent) for men. By contrast, the probability rose in 33 countries for women and 38 countries for men.
Among the world’s largest nations outside the high-income West, mortality linked to chronic conditions declined for both sexes in China, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, and Brazil. In India and Papua New Guinea, however, the risk rose for men and women alike.
The report also noted that improvements in the treatment and prevention of cancers and cardiovascular diseases—particularly heart attacks and strokes—were the main drivers of declining mortality rates worldwide. But these gains were offset in several countries by increases in deaths caused by dementia, neuropsychiatric disorders such as alcohol use disorder, and cancers of the pancreas and liver.
Researchers highlighted that countries have already committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature deaths from chronic illnesses by one-third by 2030. The study, the first of its kind to provide national-level trends and benchmarks against historical performance, warns that additional resources and targeted strategies will be necessary to achieve this objective.
The WHO said the findings come ahead of the Fourth High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on September 25, where world leaders will set a renewed agenda for preventing and controlling NCDs while advancing mental health and wellbeing goals toward 2030 and beyond.with agency inputs