One of the highlighted topics in the WHO’s
World Health Statistics report was Non-Communicable Diseases, or NCDs. The
article mentioned how NCDs are a major health challenge of the 21st
century. The main four NCDs are cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic
respiratory disease, and diabetes and they account of a majority of deaths
worldwide. The introduction to the section on NCDs in WHO’s report begins, “Of the estimated 57 million global deaths in 2008, 36 million
(63%) were due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Population growth and
increased longevity are leading to a rapid increase in the total number of
middle-aged and older adults, with a corresponding increase in the number of
deaths caused by NCDs.” (World Health Statistics). After reading about NCDs and
their correlation with population growth, I was reminded about what I have
previously learned about population growth in my biology class. My biology class
focused on the rising human population’s effects on the environment and
increase in the spread of infectious diseases. I was therefore very curious to
find out that population growth has also been shown to relate with an increase
in deaths from NCDs. After reading this article, I decided to do further
research on the correlation between NCDs and the increasing global population.
While researching I came
across an interesting article, "Why
Non-communicable Diseases Must Be Part of Any New Development Goals.", from
the Guardian. The informative article further explained the relationship
between NCDs and population growth. It explained how the increasing
population will cause an increase in NCD risk factors resulting in the increase
in deaths from NCDs. With the rapidly increasing population, it has been
predicted that 7 billion people will be living in “megacities” by the year 2050
(Ralston). These overcrowded megacities have populations of over 10 million
citizens and create the perfect environment for NCD risk factors. For example,
the poor air quality of the large cities will cause an increase in chronic
respiratory disease and cancer. Also, the limited access to healthy food and
sparse opportunities for physical exercise in the overcrowded cities will lead
to an increase in cardiovascular disease, which is currently the most prevalent
NCD. Overall, as more people move to urban cities, particularly the overcrowded
megacities, the number of deaths from NCDs will surely increase. Recent global
trends in migration and urbanization have already begun to accelerate the NCD
pandemic. The WHO’s World Health Statistics report also mentions how the deaths
from NCDs will continue to escalate while the deaths from infectious diseases
are expected to decrease, “As a result of such trends, the total number of
annual NCD deaths is projected to reach 55 million by 2030 – whereas annual infectious
disease deaths are projected to decline over the next 20 years.” The trends of
urbanization and population growth that the WHO report is referring to are the
same trends that the article from the Guardian mentioned.
Another important point to address is the much
larger occurrence of deaths from NCDs in developing countries over more wealthy
countries. NCDs and their risk factors worsen poverty while poverty contributes
to rising numbers of NCDs. For instance, currently 80% of deaths from NCDs
occur in developing countries (Ralston). The rising NCDs will only postpone
further development in third world countries and will only further push many of
their inhabitants below the poverty line. The article I found described NCDs effects
on poverty as "a vicious cycle whereby NCDs
and their risk factors worsen poverty, while poverty contributes to rising
rates of NCDs, posing a threat to public health and economic and social
development" (Ralston). Sustainable development cannot occur
without focusing on the health of these countries, and NCDs are an important
factor of their health. Presently, NCDs are being overlooked while the focus is
placed on other health issues such as sanitization, clean water sources,
infectious diseases such as malaria, amongst other health issues. Although
these health concerns also need to be addressed, the deaths from NCDs cannot be
ignored. In order to address global health issues, all the aspects of health
need to be addressed including NCDs. If no preventative measures are taken,
then the people that may not die from malaria or unclean water because of
efforts may instead die from NCDs.
The most prevalent NCD is cardiovascular
disease. One of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease is high blood
pressure. The image I chose shows the blood pressure being taken of an African
patient. This image reminded me of the hypertension issues that are occurring predominantly
in the global south with the global north has shown improvement in this area. The
World Health Statistics reported, “It has been estimated that raised blood
pressure causes 51% of stroke deaths and 45% of coronary heart disease deaths. Mean
blood pressure has decreased dramatically in nearly all high-income countries…In
contrast, mean blood pressure has been stable or increasing in most African
countries.” (World Health Statistics). The
developing countries of the global south, particularly in Africa, are experiencing
an increase in hypertension which correlates with an increase in death from cardiovascular
disease. This reminded me of the article I read which mentioned that 80% of
deaths from NCDs occur in developing countries (Ralston). The increasing blood
pressure rates in these developing countries could be one possible explanation
of the much higher death rate due to NCDs in the global south versus the global
north.
As previously mentioned, non-communicable disease are a major health challenge of
the twenty first century according to WHO. With
the increasing population and longevity leading to a larger number of elderly
people, non-communicable disease will only continue to be a leading cause of
global deaths. In order to prevent this inevitable increase in deaths from
NCDs, action needs to be taken to eliminate risk factors that correlate to
higher rates of NCDs in a population. Currently the millennium development
goals, MDGs, do not mention any goals regarding NCDs although they account for
two out of every three deaths globally (Ralston). Despite the fact that a
majority of deaths worldwide result from NCDs, no global effort had been made
to begin addressing the problem at the beginning of the 21st century.
In recent years some global recognition for the major health problem of increasing deaths from NCDs has been made. For instance, the article
I read mentioned that the UN recognized NCDs as a major health challenge. Also,
the WHO report mentioned actions that the UN had begun to take to begin
measuring the occurrence of NCDs and also preventive actions to help control them,
especially in developing countries. The UN plans to reduce the amount of global
deaths by NCDs through the “reduction of risk factors, strengthening of health
systems, and improved monitoring and evaluation.” (World Health Statistics). One
such way to begin preventative measures against NCDs is to address the rising
high blood pressure rates in developing countries. This is just one step that
could be taken in the direction to begin lowering the global deaths from NCDs as
we face imminent population growth in the future.
-Allison Binkerd
Works Cited
"World Health Statistics 2012." WHO. World Health Organization, 2012. Web. <http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/EN_WH
S2012_Full.pdf>.
Article:
Ralston,
Johanna, and Ann Keeling. "Why Non-communicable Diseases Must Be Part of
Any New Development
Goals." The Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 29 Jan. 0011. Web.
30 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty- matters/2012/sep/11/non- communicable-diseases-development-goals>.
Image:
"WHO Warns of High
Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Obesity." DAWN.COM. N.p., 17 May
2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.
<http://dawn.com/2012/05/17/who-warns-of-high-blood-pressure- diabetes-obesity/>.
I agree with Allison Binkerd that NCD's are becoming amore prevalent problem. Allison included the following quote from the World Health Statistics, "Population growth and increased longevity are leading to a rapid increase in the total number of middle-aged and older adults, with a corresponding increase in the number of deaths caused by NCDs," which precisely acknowledge the causation behind this slow motion catastrophe. Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, said that this “epidemic is being driven by powerful, almost universal trends, namely demographic ageing, rapid unplanned urbanization, and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles.”
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Allison’s point that NCDs are having a drastic effect in low-income countries. In the developing world, NCDs are detected late, when patients need extensive and expensive hospital care for severe complications or acute events. Many cancer patients’ only viable option is pain relief and a dignified death (Chan). Patients are then burdened with the extremely high costs, which then pushes them under the poverty line. However, I have a slightly different opinion of NCD’s in wealthier nations. Allison quoted the World Health Statistics who reported that the “mean blood pressure has decreased dramatically in nearly all high-income countries…In contrast, mean blood pressure has been stable or increasing in most African countries.” That statement does not take into account the fact that citizens, like my grandmother, in high-income countries can afford to purchase medications that help control their blood pressure. This is a “luxury” that citizens living in low-income countries cannot typically afford. NCDs should be treated with the same mind-set and the same urgency in wealthy nations, even though the problem is masked. At the First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Noncommunicable Disease Control in Moscow, Dr. Margaret Chan also spoke on this topic. She said:
In wealthy countries, deaths from heart disease and strokes have declined significantly, cancer patients are being cured or surviving longer and people with diabetes have better access to essential and effective treatments…When drugs are available to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and improve glucose metabolism, the situation looks somehow under control. This appearance is misleading. The root causes of these diseases are not being addressed. The failure to promote population-wide preventive measures is evident in just a few statistics. Worldwide obesity rates have almost doubled since 1980. The epidemic of diabetes, which is closely associated with obesity and urbanization, has skyrocketed in rich and poor countries alike. This is a world in which more than 40 million pre-school children are obese or overweight. Comforting assumptions that noncommunicable diseases are somehow being managed carry three serious dangers. First, they fail to consider the spiraling costs of chronic care. In some countries, the costs of caring for diabetes alone consume nearly 15% of the national health budget. Second, they blunt the signals of an urgent need for sweeping policy changes aimed at prevention. Third, they fail to recognize that many interventions are currently beyond the financial reach of countries with limited resources and exceed their coping capacity.
Dr. Margaret Chan explicates the fallout of these assumptions. The reality of the situation is that NCDs are largely preventable. Evidence shows that positive lifestyle changes such as healthy diets, physical exercise, and not using tobacco can help prevent NCDs. Therefore the citizens of the wealthier nations need to incorporate these lifestyle changes in order to address this slow motion catastrophe. These changes are a little more difficult in low-income countries due to the globalization of corporations such as Coca-Cola, whose products are rich in sugar, but lack any significant nutrients.
(comment continued)
ReplyDeleteTypically, highly processed foods are the cheapest, and most convenient foods, even though they are the unhealthiest. The cheapness of it appeals to those who are struggling to feed their families, which then leads to a larger impact on the health of low-income countries. “The world certainly needs to feed its nearly seven billion inhabitants. But we do not need to feed them junk food” (Chan).
Chan, Margaret. "The Worldwide Rise of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases: A Slow-motion Catastrophe." WHO. Proc. of The First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Noncommunicable Disease Control, Russia, Moscow. WHO, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
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