Silent killer- non communicable diseases
According to a new study, it has been examined how life-threatening diseases have changed in India and found that infectious or communicable diseases are no longer our biggest threat.
In India, from 1990 to 2016, non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases have caused most deaths in a year.
Heart disease has long been ranked as the top killer in India. The report measured the inputs in disease burden, which is measured in DALYs i.e. disability-adjusted-life-years, the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.
The following study was conducted by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and US based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
It found, that although diabetes may not be the largest killer, it had the largest disease burden of about 80 percent.
In 2016, three of the five leading causes of disease which were found to be a burden in India were non-communicable, with heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as the top main causes and stroke leading as the fifth cause, according to the report.
As per the assessment it was found that diseases on a state by state basis in India has reflected how heart disease and diabetes were more dominant in states that are economically advanced.
However, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is a non-communicable disease, was seen to be high in the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh that are relatively less advanced at the epidemiological transition stage.
Public health experts, especially those studying non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, have long been pointing out this link between economic advancement and ‘lifestyle diseases’. The trends have been reflected in the different phases of the India Diabetes survey (INDIAB) conducted by the ICMR.
The report highlighted many culprits mainly insufficient safe water and sanitation services, air pollution, unhealthy diets, poor nutrition and tobacco, which is responsible for six percent of the disease burden. Air pollution, in fact, was the second highest risk factor, affecting Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar the most.
Infectious diseases dropped from a prevalence of 61 percent in 1990 to 33 percent in 2016, while non-communicable diseases rose from 30 percent to 55 percent. Internally, however, the rate dropped by 36 percent from 1990 to 2016 in the country.
India is experiencing a rapid health transition with the problem of both malnutrition and over nutrition. India must now orient the health system towards prevention, screening, early intervention and new treatment modalities with the aim to reduce the burden of chronic disease. Surveillance of NCDs and their risk factors should also become an integral function of health systems. Evidence based clinical practice and appropriate use of technologies should be promoted at all levels of health care, including tertiary services. Keeping in view that chronic diseases have an impact on the health and productivity of the people, these measures are essential for the health of India as well as its economic progress.