Early Deaths on the Rise Worldwide: Key Reasons Revealed
A global study has revealed that metabolic risk factors like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high body mass index (BMI) are emerging as major contributors to poor health and early death around the world.
Deepak 
A global study has revealed that metabolic risk factors like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high body mass index (BMI) are emerging as major contributors to poor health and early death around the world.
The latest findings from the "Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021," published in The Lancet, offer a comprehensive analysis of the disease burden and associated health outcomes of 88 risk factors across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021.
Between 2000 and 2021, researchers observed a rise in the number of people experiencing metabolic risks such as:
- High systolic blood pressure (SBP)
- High fasting plasma glucose (FPG)
- High body mass index (BMI)
- High LDL or "bad" cholesterol
- Kidney dysfunction
This resulted in a 49.4% increase in global DALYs (Disability-adjusted life years), or the number of healthy years of life lost due to poor health and early death. Researchers attribute this rise to a combination of the growing global population and changing lifestyles.
The study also found that:
- Particulate matter air pollution
- Smoking
- Low birth weight
- Short gestation
were among the biggest contributors to DALYs in 2021.
Dr. Christopher Murray, Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, stated:
"The risk factors currently driving poor health, such as obesity and other components of metabolic syndrome, exposure to ambient particulate air pollution, and tobacco use, need to be addressed through a combination of global health policy efforts and risk reduction interventions to improve population health."
The study did find some progress in reducing the global burden of disease caused by risk factors related to maternal and child health, including:
- Contaminated water
- Poor sanitation
- Lack of handwashing
- Household air pollution from solid fuel cooking
Dr. Greg Roth, Director of the Cardiovascular Health Metrics Program at IHME, called for "urgent interventions focused on obesity and metabolic syndrome."
This study serves as a crucial wake-up call for global health, urging policymakers, healthcare providers, and individuals to take action and address the leading causes of poor health and early mortality.
Here are some additional points:
- The study found that high blood pressure is the leading risk factor globally, followed by high blood sugar.
