We are living longer and longer, but while deaths from infectious diseases and premature births are declining, deaths from heart disease, conflict and terrorism are on the rise , according to the new Global Burden of Disease report examining the state of health. worldwide by estimating the average life expectancy, as well as the number of deaths, illnesses and injuries from more than 300 causes -in 130 locations on the planet-.
According to the report, the global average life expectancy is 72.5 years (75.3 years for women and 69.8 years for men), a figure that exceeds the average of 65.1 years in 1990. Among all , the country with the highest life expectancy is Japan, with 83.9 years ; at the bottom is the Central African Republic with the lowest score: 50.2 years.
In total, there were 54.7 million deaths worldwide in 2016. Almost three-quarters (72.3%) of those deaths came from so-called “non-communicable diseases”, or those that cannot be passed from person to person, including diseases heart attacks, strokes and cancer.
About 19% of deaths in 2016 come from communicable diseases, maternal diseases (which occur during pregnancy and delivery), neonatal diseases (which occur around the neonatal period), and nutritional diseases (which include nutritional deficiencies); about 8% of the deaths were from injuries.
From 2006 to 2016, the total number of deaths from communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases decreased by almost 24%. In particular, deaths have been reduced among children under 5 years of age, who often die from respiratory infections or complications early in life, according to the report. HIV / AIDS deaths among children and adults have also decreased by 46% since 2006 , and malaria deaths have decreased by 26% since 2006.
However, the total number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases has increased by 16% in the last 10 years , which means that there were 5.5 million deaths from this cause in 2016 compared to 2006.
Ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death with almost 9.5 million people in 2016.
Diabetes also caused 1.4 million deaths in 2016, up 31% from 2006.
“Global health patterns are clearly changing, with more rapid declines in communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases than for other diseases and injuries,” the authors comment.
But in addition, the findings suggest that noncommunicable diseases, “which cause very significant mortality in young and middle-aged adults, need to be given higher political priority,” the researchers said.
To make matters worse, since 2006, the number of deaths from conflict and terrorism has increased significantly, reaching 150,500 deaths in 2016 ( an increase of 143% from 2006 ). This huge rise is due in large part to the result of conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East, according to scientists.
A dangerous triad
Death rates also increased for opioid, amphetamine, and other drug use disorders in some places, especially in high-income countries. In total, 1.1 billion people around the world have some form of mental health or substance use disorder.
“Our findings indicate that people are living longer and, in the last decade, we have identified substantial progress in lowering death rates from some of the world’s most pernicious diseases and conditions, including under-5 mortality. years and malaria. However, despite this progress, we are facing a triad of problems that is crippling many nations and communities, “concludes Christopher Murray, co-author of the paper.
This fatal triad is made up of obesity, conflict, and mental illness, including substance use disorders .
Reference: Global Burden of Disease. Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 The Lancet DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17 ) 32336-X
