India is experiencing an alarming increase in deaths due to chronic conditions, with women being at a steeper rise in risk than men, a study in The Lancet said. The study showcases the way Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases have taken an increasing number of lives in the ten-year period before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Women Face Higher Mortality Risk
Between 2010 and 2019, the chances of death due to an NCD increased by 2.1% for women and 0.1% for men, lead researcher Professor Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London's School of Public Health reported. The danger is most pronounced for women over the age of 40 and men over the age of 55.
The trends are particularly alarming for Indian women, as mortality risk had previously been on the decline but has now sharply increased. In 2001, the risk of a woman dying due to an NCD before reaching the age of 80 was 46.7%. It declined marginally to 46.6% in 2011, only to increase strongly to 48.7% by 2019.
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Why Men Show a Smaller Increase
For men, modest increases in mortality have been attributed to progress in medical diagnosis and treatment, especially for diseases such as ischemic heart disease and liver cirrhosis. Enhanced access to healthcare in some regions has slowed the rate of mortality growth, but there are still difficulties.
Heart Disease and Diabetes Fueling the Boom
The research identifies ischemic heart disease and diabetes-including diabetic kidney complications as the largest contributors to rising fatalities in men and women. The conditions negate advances in decreasing deaths due to liver cirrhosis and other chronic diseases.
The report also states that the men also benefited from reduced mortality rates for stomach cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), stroke, and certain other circulatory diseases. These gains weren't large enough, though, to outweigh the overall increase in deaths from chronic disease
India Among Few Countries With Rising Lung Cancer Deaths
One of the most troubling findings is the increase in lung cancer deaths in India. The nation is one of only five countries, along with Armenia, Iran, Egypt, and Papua New Guinea, where lung cancer deaths actually rose during the 2010–2019 decade.
Experts emphasise that these results are a call to action. With lifestyle risk factors like unhealthy diet, smoking, lack of physical activity, and increasing obesity driving the wave, immediate public health action is necessary. Investments in strengthening prevention, enhancing early detection, and increasing access to care may be the solution to turn these trends around.
As chronic illnesses increasingly displace infectious illnesses as India's greatest health threat, the statistics highlight the necessity for a nationwide prevention focus on NCD to protect the health of India's future.