It is a matter of concern that non-communicable diseases caused nearly 40mn or 72% of all deaths worldwide in 2016, as revealed by latest Global Burden of Disease study (GBD), published last Thursday in the health journal, The Lancet. Adding to the shock are the findings that one in five deaths worldwide is linked to poor diet, while more than 7.1mn people died of tobacco-related illnesses in 2016.
The GBD is the only annual, comprehensive, peer-reviewed assessment of global trends in health, providing global and national estimates on more than 330 diseases, causes of death, and injuries in 195 countries and territories worldwide. The study is co-ordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Seattle, US, and involves more than 2,500 collaborators from across more than 130 countries and territories.
In 2016, the total number of live births was 128.8mn whereas the total number of deaths was 54.7mn (up from 42.8mn in 1970). Mortality rates have declined across all age groups, with the greatest progress made in under five mortality, with a decrease to fewer than 5mn in 2016 for the first time, down from 16.4mn in 1970. The average global life expectancy for women is 75.3 years, and 69.8 years for men. Japan has the highest life expectancy (83.9 both sexes combined), and the Central African Republic the lowest (50.2 years).
Ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of premature mortality in all regions, apart from in low income countries where the leading cause was lower respiratory infections. Globally, ischaemic heart disease caused a total of 9.48mn deaths in 2016 – an increase of 19% since 2006. Diabetes caused 1.43mn deaths globally in 2016, an increase of 31.1% since 2006. In 2016, there were 1.1bn people living with mental health and substance use disorders, and major depressive disorders ranked in the top 10 causes of ill health in all but four countries worldwide.
Poor diets were associated with nearly one in five (18.8%) of all deaths. In particular, diets low in whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds, fish oils and high in salt were the most common dietary risk factors. The authors note that the relatively poor track record for global risk reduction might in part reflect low investment, as compared to curative healthcare, as well as the continuing challenges of improving many risky behaviours.
The study also revealed that conflict, terrorism and gun violence are claiming more lives around the world now than a decade ago. Deaths caused by war and terrorism spiked after 2006, with 150,500 reported in 2016 — a 143% increase from 10 years earlier. These fatalities occurred largely as a result of conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East, the researchers noted. Worldwide, gun deaths also climbed during the same period: In 2016, firearm suicide fatalities reached 67,500 and firearm assault casualties rose to 161,000, increases of 4.3% and 5.7%, respectively, from 2006. Guns may be the direct cause of more deaths, but there was an overall 3% decrease in fatalities caused by self-harm during the decade ending in 2016, the study indicated.
