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The “Global Burden of Disease Study 2019” is a report prepared by 5,5 scientists that analyzes the causes of deaths and diseases that contribute to lowering the quality of health. Although the report includes deaths from 2019, i.e. from before the COVID-19 pandemic, it also answers the question: why did so many people around the world die from COVID-19.
- In 2019, hypertension caused the death of over 10 million people and was the most common cause of death. Smoking was ranked second, followed by poor diet
- Scientists believe that the global pandemic of chronic diseases has contributed to the high number of deaths from a new infectious disease such as COVID-19
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
What diseases were killing people in 2019?
According to the report “Global Burden of Disease Study 2019” prepared by over 5,5 thousand. scientists from 152 countries who analyzed 286 causes of death and 369 diseases and 87 risk factors in 2019 in 204 countries and regions, the most fatal disease is arterial hypertensionthat killed 10,8 million people last year. Tobacco smoking came second – 8,71 million, and the third – poor diet – 7,94 million.
Other factors with high mortality include:
- air pollution – 6,67 million,
- too high blood sugar – 6,5 million,
- overweight or obesity – 5,02 million,
- high level of LDL (bad cholesterol) – 4,4 million,
- renal failure – 3,16 million,
- malnutrition – 2,94 million,
- alcohol abuse – 2,44 million.
Among the factors responsible for the loss of health, scientists listed: neonatal diseases, ischemic heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory system infections, diarrhea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, road accidents, diabetes, back pain in the lumbosacral region and congenital defects.
See: Hypertension is asymptomatic. Symptoms have complications
How can the 2019 report help us answer the question why more than 19 million people died a year later due to the new contagious disease COVID-1,1? According to its authors, it is the global crisis of chronic disease and the inability of public health authorities to contain increases in preventable risk factors that make populations vulnerable to health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
- How do comorbidities affect the course of COVID-19? Large meta-analysis
The health situation in the world before COVID-19 is having an impact on what is happening now
Scientists believe that what is happening in the world right now is caused by the worldwide pandemic of chronic diseases. Coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, a new infectious disease that is particularly dangerous for people with comorbidities. The study’s authors emphasize that promises to prevent disease through government action or incentives that enable healthier behavior and access to health care resources are not being fulfilled worldwide.
«Most risk factors are preventable and treatable. Fighting them will bring enormous social and economic benefits. We have failed to change unhealthy behaviors, especially those related to diet quality, caloric intake and physical activity, in part because of insufficient political attention and insufficient funding for public health and behavioral research, ”explained Professor Christopher Murray, director of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME ) at the University of Washington, USA, which led the research.
Several risk factors and non-communicable diseases highlighted in the report, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases are also factors that increase the risk of severe course and death from COVID-19. According to Dr. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, NCDs have contributed significantly to over a million deaths from COVID-19 and will continue to shape the current health of society in every country, even after the pandemic has passed.
What solutions do the scientists working on the report see? According to Professor Emmanueli Gakidou of IHME, given that individual choices are influenced by financial considerations, education and the availability of alternatives, governments around the world should work together on initiatives that enable healthier behavior for all. “Merely providing information about the harmfulness of risk factors is not enough,” emphasized Gakidou.
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