‘Ischemic heart disease killed most Indians last year’

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The Global Burden of Disease (GBD), 2016 data released on Monday reveals that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries continue to be the main cause of death among people of all age-groups in India. GBD data published recently in The Lancet showed that seven of top 10 causes of death among all age-groups in India are due to NCDs or injuries. More than 6 million people died in India due to NCDs in 2016, with ischemic heart disease being the leading cause of death.

Although life expectancy of Indians is growing steadily over the past decade, data shows that the country still suffers from some major disease burdens such as ischemic heart disease, pulmonary disorders, cerebrovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. Ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death in India (both among men and women) with an increase of 53 per cent from 2005. Ischemia means “reduced blood supply”, and the disease is characterised by reduced supply of blood to the heart.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) saw an increase of 22.71 per cent over the 2005 data. While diabetes saw a 70.5-per cent increase from the 2005 levels, chronic kidney diseases increased by 36.42 per cent in the same period. NCDs also emerged as the major contributor to the rising percentage of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) in the country.

Dr Vivekanand Jha, executive director at The George Institute for Global Health, said, “The contribution of NCDs to death and disability in India continues to grow at an alarming rate…. The two largest increases were seen in diabetes and chronic kidney disease. The report points out the value of knowing these cause-specific mortality data in framing action to meet sustainable development goals (SDG).” The GBD data reveals that self-harm continues to be the largest cause of death among people in the age group of 10-24 years.