In a recent disclosure, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), housed within the University of Washington, USA, and specializing in global health analytics, has highlighted that 33 percent of global mortality stems from heart diseases.
Cancer emerges as the second leading cause of death globally among noncommunicable diseases, responsible for 18 percent of fatalities, trailing behind heart diseases, as outlined in the IHME Global Burden of Disease and Global Terrorism Database.
Research has identified smoking, lack of physical activity, consumption of unhealthy foods, and various other factors as contributors to the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Within the spectrum of noncommunicable diseases, chronic respiratory issues account for 7 percent, followed by digestive diseases at 4.5 percent, neurological disorders at 3.9 percent, diabetes at 2.7 percent, and other associated illnesses collectively making up 5.7 percent, resulting in a combined total of 74 percent of global deaths.
Quoting the IHME Global Burden of Disease and Global Terrorism Database, the World of Statistics on Monday, said infectious diseases account for 14 per cent of fatalities globally.
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The infectious diseases include pneumonia (4.4%), diarrheal diseases (2.7%), tuberculosis (2%), HIV/AIDS (1.5%), malaria (1.1%) and others have 2.1%.
The World Health Organisation attesting to the report said, “At a global level, 7 of the 10 leading causes of deaths in 2019 were noncommunicable diseases.
“These seven causes accounted for 44% of all deaths or 80% of the top 10. However, all noncommunicable diseases together accounted for 74% of deaths globally in 2019.”
WHO said, “The world’s biggest killer is ischaemic heart disease, responsible for 16% of the world’s total deaths.
“Since 2000, the largest increase in deaths 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.”
Aside from noncommunicable diseases, other contributors to global mortality include neonatal issues (3.3 percent), maternal deaths (0.4 percent), nutritional deficiencies (0.4 percent), accidents involving transportation (2.3 percent), other accidents (3.1 percent), suicides (1.3 percent), homicides (0.7 percent), deaths resulting from warfare (0.2 percent), and fatalities from acts of terrorism (0.05 percent).