Lifestyle diseases increasing in India
India is matching the developed countries path regarding lifestyle diseases.
Lifestyle disease or non-communicable diseases (NCD) as they are also called are diseases that are due to defective way of living; they are not due to an infection.
By 2021, it is estimated that 42% of deaths will be due to NCDs in urban India
Lifestyle diseases affect both the nation’s economy as well as individual households.
Some examples of NCDs are Diabetes, Heart diseases and Cancer.
Deaths due to NCDs in India: Heart -72 million, Diabetes – 62 million, Cancer 1 million, Lung diseases – 30 million, Stroke – 1.5 million.
Main causes of NCDs include Smoking and tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.
Cost of NCDs to India: 236 billion dollars will be the loss of income due to NCDs in 2017. India spends around 4.2% of GDP on healthcare, of which 39% is spent on NCDs.
Cost to individuals due to NCD: 25% of families that have a member with heart disease experience unmanageable financial hardship. 50% households with cancer face huge unbearable costs and 25% are driven to poverty.
And it’s so simple to prevent NCDs and minimize treatment costs – just eat healthy, exercise and get periodic health checkups!
