The World Health Organization has recently released the 2019 Global Health Estimates. WHO Global Health Estimates provide a comprehensive and comparable assessment of mortality and loss of health due to diseases and injuries for all regions of the world. The new data of Global Health Estimates cover the period from 2000 to 2019. The Estimates are in consonance with the report “Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019” by WHO.
The Global Health Estimates data can be accessed, analysed and used through a variety of different channels and mediums. WHO’s Global Health Estimates provide the latest available data on causes of death and disability globally, by region and country, by age, sex and by income group. These estimates are produced using data from multiple sources, including national vital registration data, latest estimates from WHO technical programmes, United Nations’ partners and inter-agency groups, the Global Burden of Disease and other scientific studies.
The key findings mentioned in the report are-
- The Top 10 causes of death: WHO divided the causes of death into three group of categories- Communicable i.e. infectious and parasitic diseases; maternal, perinatal and nutritional condition which is non- communicable (chronic); and injuries. According to the report Ischemic heart disease caused the most deaths 16% of the world’s total deaths. Since 2000, the largest increase in death has been for this disease, rising by more than 2 million to 8.9 million deaths in 2019.
- Stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are the 2nd and 3rd leading causes of death, responsible for approximately 11% and 6% of total deaths respectively. Followed by- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lower respiratory infections, Neonatal conditions, Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, Diarrheal diseases, Diabetes mellitus, Kidney diseases.
- Lower respiratory infections remained the world’s most deadly communicable disease however the number of deaths has gone down substantially: in 2019 it claimed 2.6 million lives, 460 000 fewer than in 2000.
- Neonatal conditions have killed 2 million newborns and young children in 2019, 1.2 million fewer than in 2000.
- Deaths from non-communicable diseases are on the rise as well Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers caused deaths have risen from 1.2 million to 1.8 million.
- Women are disproportionately affected. Globally, 65% of death victims from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are women.
- The biggest decline in the number of deaths is from diarrheal diseases, with global deaths falling from 2.6 million in 2000 to 1.5 million in 2019.
- A significant increase of 70% since 2000 was observed in deaths due to diabetes. Diabetes is also responsible for the largest rise in male deaths among the top 10 diseases, with an 80% increase since 2000.
- Kidney diseases have risen from the world’s 13th leading cause of death to the 10th. However, Mortality has increased from 813 000 in 2000 to 1.3 million in 2019.
- Deaths from HIV/AIDS have fallen by 51% during the last 20 years, moving from the world’s 8th leading cause of death in 2000 to the 19th in 2019.
WHO also included leading causes of death by income group, The World Bank classifies the world economy into four income groups – based on gross national income – Low, Lower-Middle, Upper-Middle and High.
Low income countries-
- People in such countries are more likely to die of a communicable disease than a non-communicable disease. 6 of the top 10 causes of death in low-income countries are communicable diseases.
- Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS all remain in the top 10. However, all three are falling significantly.
- The biggest decline has been for HIV/AIDS, with 59% fewer deaths in 2019 than in 2000.
- Diarrheal diseases are more common cause of death in low-income countries
- Deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are particularly infrequent in low-income countries compared to Countries in other income groups.
Lower-Middle-income countries
- Diabetes is a rising cause of death in this income group. The number of deaths from this disease has nearly doubled since 2000.
- The biggest increase in absolute deaths is from ischaemic heart disease, rising by more than 1 million to 3.1 million since 2000.
- HIV/AIDS has seen the biggest decrease in rank among the previous top 10 causes of death in 2000, moving from 8th to 15th.
Upper-Middle-income countries
- Significant rise in deaths from lung cancer, which have increased by 411 000; more than double the increase in deaths of all three other income groups combined.
- Stomach cancer features highly in upper-middle-income countries compared to the other income groups, Being the only group with this disease in the top 10 causes of death.
- Biggest decrease in terms of absolute number of deaths is for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which has fallen by nearly 264 000 to 1.3 million deaths.
- Deaths from ischaemic heart disease have increased by more than 1.2 million, the largest rise in any income group in terms of absolute number of deaths from this cause.
- Only one communicable disease that is lower respiratory infection.
- There has been a 31% fall in deaths from suicide since 2000 in this income category, decreasing to 234 000 deaths in 2019.
High income countries
- Deaths due to Ischaemic heart disease and stroke have gone down by 16 % and 21% respectively in this category of income group countries.
- Deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias have increased, being responsible for the deaths of 814 000 people in 2019.
Why this report must be taken seriously
It is important to know the cause of deaths in order to promote a better life and improved medical standards. Mortality data can help focus activities and resource allocation among sectors such as transportation, food and agriculture, and the environment as well as health. Countries should improve their basic healthcare structure as the report clearly mentions causes of death in the country categorized income-wise . This would help nations to better understand their population and organize their healthcare system accordingly. The world needs to rapidly step up prevention, diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases. Strong primary health care is clearly the foundation on which everything rests, from combating non-communicable diseases to managing a global pandemic.
