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India has largest pool of patients in world
Communicable Diseases Equally Big Killers As Lifestyle AilmentsSubodh Varma | TIG SYNOPSIS: India is a developing country and hence finds itself in a unique situation where it has the worst of both worlds- a high number of patients suffering from both communicable diseases ( a feature of the backward countries ) as well as patients with metabolic failures ( a feature of the developed countries) causing it to have the highest no of patients. New Delhi: What is the more likely cause of death today—a disease caused by germs or failure of one of the body organs? The answer depends on which part of the world and which economic class you are talking about. In the industrialised economies of Europe, for instance, only 6% of all deaths are due to communicable diseases, while 86% are due to metabolic disorders like cancer, heart ailments, diabetes, etc. The remaining 8% are a result of accidents, natural calamities, suicides and murders. In sharp contrast to this situation, 70% of deaths in Africa are due to communicable diseases, while only 22% are from non-communicable disorders. These are estimates for 2005, according to the World Health Organisations Global Burden of Disease projections. In India's case, the great transition is taking place but slowly.And thereby hangs a tale. India is a halfway house and that spells double trouble. Unlike the West, where one type of diseases declined rapidly even as the other type increased, in India both coexist in almost equal proportions—48% of deaths are due to communicable diseases, while 43% are due to non-communicable diseases. India thus has the worst of both worlds. The lifespan has increased with the availability of modern medicine. But so has the spread of high-carbohydrate, high-fat diets, sedentary lifestyles and other risk factors like tobacco. This has contributed to the increasing prevalence of heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. At the same time, poverty and poor quality of life for many is a fertile breeding ground for communicable diseases. Till the first half of the 20th century, diseases caused by tiny organisms like bacteria and viruses used to be big killers globally. The discovery of antibiotics meant that almost all communicable diseases were conquered, at least in the advanced countries. This, coupled with general progress in providing food and other necessities, led to people living longer. Non-communicable or metabolic diseases became the prime killers. However, the poorest countries are still where the advanced countries were a century ago and the spread of AIDS (a communicable disease) has added to the problem. India's unique situation means that it has the world's largest pool of patients. It is home to an estimated 70 million heart/stroke patients and 32 million diabetes patients. Every year 2.2 million Indians get infected with TB and over a million children die of diarrhoea. Death rates due to communicable diseases are similar to what they were a century ago in the advanced nations, but rates for non-communicable diseases are higher than in those countries today. url - http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Skins/TOI/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&login=rashi.rv&Enter=true&Skin=TOI&GZ=T&AW=1175492428921&AppName=1 |
