Non-communicable Diseases
Source: Indian Express
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies
What is discussed under Non-communicable Diseases?
- Key Highlights of the “Invisible Numbers — The True Extent of Noncommunicable Diseases and What to Do About Them” report
- What are Non-Communicable Diseases?
Why in News?
- World Health Organization (WHO) release a new report named “Invisible Numbers — The True Extent of Noncommunicable Diseases and What to Do About Them”.
- According to the report, in every two seconds, one person under the age of 70 dies from a noncommunicable illness.
- 86% of these fatalities are in poor and middle-income nations.
Key Highlights of the Report
- Two-thirds of hypertensive persons reside in poor and middle-income nations.
- However, over half of hypertensive persons are unaware of their condition.
- Hypertension now affects around 1.3 billion persons aged 30 to 79.
Major diseases
- Diabetes is one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases.
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay - Lowering risk factors can help prevent not only diabetes, but also hypertension, heart disease, and various types of cancer.
- Diabetes causes one in every 28 fatalities, or two million deaths every year.
- Type 2 diabetes accounts for more than 95% of all diabetes cases worldwide.
- Risk factors:
- Cigarette use, Unhealthy diet, Unhealthy alcohol use, Physical inactivity, and Air pollution
- Addressing these risk factors might prevent or delay severe ill-health and a high number of fatalities from numerous NCDs.
Cancer
- Cancer kills one in every six people – 9.3 million people each year.
- 44% of cancer deaths might have been avoided or postponed by lowering health hazards.
COPD
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is responsible for one out of every 13 fatalities (4.1 million persons per year).
- 70% of chronic respiratory disease fatalities may have been avoided or postponed by lowering health hazards.
Effect of COVID-19
- Covid-19 emphasised the linkages between NCDs and infectious illness, which have major implications for NCD care.
- During the first months of the pandemic, 75% of nations experienced disruptions in basic NCD services.
- Exposure to NCD risk variables altered during the Covid-19 epidemic.
- Lockdowns and other public health measures typically resulted in less physical activity, and economic uncertainty meant that many individuals could not afford to consume a nutritious diet.
Non-Communicable Diseases
- NCDs are a set of conditions that are not primarily caused by an acute infection, have long-term health implications, and frequently need long-term therapy and care.
- Examples:
- Cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic lung diseases.
- Many NCDs can be avoided by eliminating common risk factors such as cigarette use, hazardous alcohol use, physical inactivity, and consuming unhealthy diets.
- Many other essential illnesses, like accidents and mental health issues, are also classified as NCDs.
- Status of Non-Communicable Diseases in India:
- According to WHO, over 60.46 lakh people died in India in 2019 as a result of NCDs.
- In 2019, over 25.66 lakh fatalities were caused by cardiovascular disorders, whereas 11.46 lakh deaths were caused by chronic respiratory diseases.
- Cancer was responsible for 9.20 lakh fatalities in the country, while diabetes was responsible for 3.49 lakh deaths.
- Indian Initiatives:
- National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS)
- Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer facilities
- Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT)
- Jan Aushadhi stores
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