Chronic Diseases: the Silent Killers
Introduction
Chronic diseases, also known as noncommunicable diseases or lifestyle diseases, are the leading killers and cause an unacceptable number of people to die prematurely and often after years of needless suffering and disability. Is obesity a disease? Unfortunately, this trend is increasing at a rapid pace. As per the WHO data, while in the year 2005, 60% of total deaths globally (35 million out of estimated 58 million deaths) were on account of these diseases, in the year 2012 this number jumped to 68% (38 million out of 56 million deaths) and in 2015 this figure increased to 70%. This is more than double the number of deaths from all infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria), maternal and perinatal (relating to the time immediately before and after a birth) conditions, and nutritional deficiencies combined. More than 40% of these (16 million) were premature deaths under the age of 70 years. Lifestyle diseases: the biggest man-made disaster.
Impact of Chronic Diseases
These conditions not only cause premature deaths, and enormous suffering, severely impacting the quality of life, but also threaten the economy of a country and reduce developmental potential.