Heart disease still tops the list of diseases

Cancer is believed to be the most deadly disease in India, with its expensive treatment. A family affected by cancer is often financially and emotionally devastated. The Supreme Court also expressed concern over the expensive treatment of cancer, the private healthcare system in India, and the black marketing of medicines. The latest report from Geneva states that of the estimated 61 million deaths worldwide in 2023, 16%, or approximately 9.5 million, were due to heart disease. The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating. It claimed millions of lives, but it was also brought under control at a time. Today, the disease has dropped from the list of the top 10 deadly diseases, falling to 14th place. In 2021, 9.4 million people died from COVID, but in 2023, the number dropped to only 900,000. On the other hand, deaths from heart disease have tripled. Brain stroke has also become a dangerous disease, accounting for 11% of deaths. These are all non-communicable diseases that kill people. We have prominently mentioned cancer in the Indian context. It requires a great deal of treatment. The average age of deaths decreased during COVID, but now, in 2023, it has increased to the pre-COVID average of 73.4 years. It has shown a steady increase until 2026. But the World Health Organization says that living longer isn’t as important as staying healthy. If dementia and depression increase with age, what’s the benefit of such longevity? Therefore, the WHO has declared a healthy life as important as longevity. Concerns about India continue. It says that cases of heart disease have risen rapidly in the last few years. The alarming thing is that young people between 15 and 29 years of age and working people between 30 and 35 years of age are also falling prey to it. The World Health Organization has identified mental stress, poor sleep, high blood pressure, rising cholesterol, and blood sugar as the causes. Experts have a well-known solution. The first solution is regular testing, checking your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Get adequate sleep, brisk walking, and exercise daily. While the solutions are well-known, indifference to their implementation is contributing to the rise in heart disease.