WHO list of the leading causes of death

According to WHO statistics, more and more people are dying from lung cancer and diabetes

23/07/2013

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published statistics on the world's leading causes of death in the 2011 reporting year. Accordingly, many people die as a result of smoking. These include, for example, secondary diseases such as heart attack and stroke. The WHO estimates that around 80 percent of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease could be prevented by a healthier diet, adequate exercise and abstinence from nicotine. For its evaluation, the organization compared the 2011 data with the 2000 reporting year.

Most common cause of death: cardiovascular disease
According to the latest WHO statistics, about one in ten people around the world die as a result of smoking. Thus, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases lead the list of the most frequent causes of death. In 2011, almost a quarter of all deaths worldwide were attributable to this. One in three deceased suffered from a cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, stroke or clogged blood vessels. As the WHO reports, around 80 percent of these deaths were due to a healthier diet, regular exercise and abstinence from tobacco. Cardiovascular disease major risk factors such as heart attack, coronary heart disease and stroke include obesity, an unhealthy, high-fat diet, nicotine use, physical inactivity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

According to the WHO, in 2011, two thirds of all deaths worldwide were due to noncommunicable diseases. In 2000, it was only sixty percent of the deaths. The number of these diseases would increase in infectious diseases both in the industrialized countries and in the developing and emerging countries, according to the experts. Non-communicable diseases account for 87% of all deaths in developed countries, 81% in emerging countries and 36% in developing countries. Diabetes mellitus occupies eighth place of the world's leading causes of death. About one in ten suffers, according to WHO at a morbid disturbed sugar budget. Since 2000, the number of diabetes deaths has increased from 1 million to 1.4 million.

Another sad placement reached lung cancer, which in 2009 ranked ninth of the leading causes of death, but in 2011 reached number seven.

Aids ranks sixth among the world's leading causes of death
Sixth place occupied the immune deficiency illness Aids. The disease still claims the most victims in Africa. Seventy percent of AIDS victims live in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the WHO. Globally, the number of deaths from AIDS has fallen since it reached its peak in 2005, with 2.2 million deaths. In 2011, 1.6 million Aidstote were registered. Unfortunately, many people in developing countries still do not have sufficient medical care available, so that sufferers often do not even know that they suffer from immunodeficiency or receive no antiretroviral drugs, which are used by us as standard therapy in HIV and enable a largely normal life.

As a result of the economic upturn, the number of motorized road users and thus the number of people killed in traffic accidents is also rising in many countries. According to the WHO, nearly 3,500 people die every day on the road. In 2011, 1.3 million deaths were registered. This corresponds to ninth place of the most frequent causes of death. In the year 2000, the traffic victims still ranked eleventh. The WHO therefore calls for stricter road traffic monitoring, especially in countries where the number of road deaths has increased recently.

However, the WHO's analysis also showed positive developments such as the decline in tuberculosis deaths. In 2011, one million people died from the disease, compared to 1.3 million in 2000. Nevertheless, the fight against tuberculosis remains a major concern, the WHO said.

Deaths in children
The average life expectancy of a child born in 2011 is 70, with it reduced to 60 years in low-income countries and 80 years for those with higher average incomes. In 1990, the life expectancy of children was on average six years lower.

According to the WHO, premature birth is the leading cause of childhood death. Although the number of deaths has dropped from 1.4 million (2000) to 1.2 million (2011), according to the WHO, the number could be more than three-quarters lower through the use of relatively simple, low-cost medical care. Every year around 15 million babies are born due to complications before 37 weeks gestation.

High death rate of premature babies
In May 2012, the world's first comprehensive preterm neonatal report was titled „Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth“ presented. Thus, about 1.1 million premature babies would not survive each year.

While in the developed world, the causes of premature birth are often associated with afflictions such as obesity, smoking, hypertension and late maternity, poorer hygiene, lack of protection against infection and poor medical knowledge lead to early birth in developing countries.

Most preemies come with 18.1 percent in southeastern Africa Malawi to the world. For comparison: According to the report, 9.2 percent of children in Germany are born too early. In the US it is 12 percent. Like the South African Joy Lawn from the organization „Save the Children“ explains, they often already have an injection that mothers received before birth and only cost a dollar to fight premature lung problems and thus save their lives. Also, the correct heat donation is important. For example, aid workers showed mothers how to carry the kids properly on the kangaroo model. This alone can reduce child mortality, according to Lawn. (Ag)