In some parts of the world, such as the U.S., more people are living to be 100 years old or older than ever before. Yet globally, the health of the human race is not improving, at least not as measured by how many years of an expected lifespan people are losing to disease, and how many people live with subpar health.
This news, certainly worthy of a screaming tabloid headline, comes from The Lancet, a publisher of health and medical information journals, papers and other publications.
In its Global Burden of Disease Study, the Lancet said that more people are reporting more health problems than in past years, and that more people are dying "early" due to these conditions.
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And while the average lifespan continues to be extended in major parts of the world, overall, the human race is experiencing more health problems than ever before.
"As the world's population grows, and the proportion of elderly people increases, the number of people living in suboptimum health is set to rise rapidly over coming decades," the report said. "In the past 23 years, the leading causes of health loss have hardly changed. Low back pain, depression, iron-deficiency anaemia, neck pain, and age-related hearing loss resulted in the largest overall health loss worldwide."
The study cited diabetes as a bellwether of what lies in store for human health: While fewer die from the disease, more have it and must learn to live with it.
"Importantly, rates of disability are declining much more slowly than death rates. For example, while increases in rates of diabetes have been substantial, rising by around 43 percent over the past 23 years, death rates from diabetes increased by only 9 percent."
Back pain and substance abuse are also robbing millions of their health.
"In 2013, musculoskeletal disorders (ie, mainly low back pain, neck pain, and arthritis) and mental and substance abuse disorders (predominantly depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol use disorders) accounted for almost half of all health loss worldwide," the study said.
Among its findings:
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4.3 percent of people around the world had no health problems in 2013;
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33 percent reported having more than five ailments in 2013;
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The number of individuals with more than ten disorders increased by 52 percent between 1990 and 2013;
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The proportion of lost years of healthy life due to illness (rather than death) rose from 21 percent in 1990 to 31 percent in 2013;
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Health loss associated with diabetes increased of 136 percent since 1990, 92 percent for Alzheimer's disease, 120 percent due to medication overuse for headache, and 75 percent related to osteoarthritis;
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Low back pain and major depression caused more health loss than diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma combined.
"The fact that mortality is declining faster than non-fatal disease and injury prevalence is further evidence of the importance of paying attention to the rising health loss from these leading causes of disability, and not simply focusing on reducing mortality," said Theo Vos, lead author and Professor of Global Health at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
