Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 17: A major global study published in The Lancet has found that while deaths from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke have declined in most countries, the pace of progress has slowed significantly. Alarmingly, India is among the nations where the risk of dying from chronic disease has actually increased, particularly for women.

The study, conducted by researchers at Imperial College London in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), examined data from 185 countries and territories, assessing the risk of dying from chronic disease between birth and the age of 80 from 2010 to 2019. The findings show that four out of five countries saw a decline in mortality risk from chronic illnesses—152 countries for women and 147 for men. However, nearly 60 per cent of the countries experienced a slowdown, stalling, or reversal in progress compared to the previous decade.

India stood out for a troubling reason. Between 2010 and 2019, the probability of dying from chronic diseases rose for both men and women, with women experiencing a sharper increase. The rise in deaths was largely attributed to heart disease and diabetes. This upward trend reflects gaps in the country’s healthcare system, especially in providing access to timely prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for chronic conditions.

In contrast, countries like China showed strong improvements across most age groups and causes of death, achieving mortality reductions comparable to those in Japan and South Korea. China also recorded the largest drop in deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is strongly linked to smoking and air pollution, among nations with high-quality data.

Professor Majid Ezzati, a lead researcher from Imperial College London, pointed out that in many countries, essential healthcare services and medications for managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol may not be reaching the people who need them most. He stressed the need for renewed investment in effective health programmes and strong tobacco and alcohol control policies to reverse the recent stagnation.

While many countries saw reductions in deaths from cardiovascular diseases and several common cancers—such as breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, and prostate cancer—these gains were partly offset by rising deaths from dementia, alcohol use disorders, and cancers like pancreatic and liver cancer.

The study calls for urgent action to roll out national-level healthcare policies and strengthen services for chronic disease prevention and treatment. This includes improving access to early screening, expanding preventive medication coverage, and ensuring timely care for both ongoing conditions like diabetes and emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks.

With the world facing a critical juncture in the fight against chronic diseases, the report warns that without decisive action, earlier progress could be undone, especially in countries like India where the burden is rapidly growing.