Non-Communicable Diseases Kill 571,000 People a Year, With Hypertension at the Top of the List

Every year, 571,000 people in the country die from non-communicable diseases. And at the top of that list of deaths is hypertension. The picture emerging from a report has raised fresh concern over the country's public health situation.

Non-communicable diseases are illnesses that do not spread from one person to another, but settle in the body over a long period and slowly turn fatal. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases are the main illnesses in this category.

A figure of 571,000 deaths a year means that, on average, more than fifteen hundred people die every day from diseases a large share of which are preventable. The number lays bare the frightening dominance of non-communicable diseases in the country's overall mortality picture.

Hypertension, which tops the list, is known as the 'silent killer'. In most cases it has no clear symptoms, so sufferers do not even know they are at risk. Uncontrolled hypertension leads to complications such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure.

According to doctors, two simple habits — measuring blood pressure regularly and, once diagnosed, taking medication regularly — can substantially reduce deaths from hypertension. But lack of awareness and irregular treatment leave many patients at risk.

Changes in lifestyle play a major role in the rise of these diseases. Excess salt and fatty food, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and mental stress have spread non-communicable diseases beyond the cities into rural areas as well.

Another aspect of these diseases is the long-term cost of treatment. Months of medicine, tests and hospital visits push many families into financial crisis. As a result, many people abandon treatment midway even after being diagnosed.

Public health experts have long said that tackling non-communicable diseases requires emphasis on prevention rather than treatment alone. Expanding blood pressure and diabetes screening at the primary healthcare level catches diseases early and reduces both complications and deaths.

Calls for sustainable financing to control hypertension have also been raised recently. The view has been expressed in relevant quarters that effective programmes cannot be run without long-term and reliable funding. The latest mortality figures have strengthened that case.

All in all, the report's message is clear — non-communicable diseases are now the country's biggest health risk, and hypertension sits at its centre. Without awareness, regular screening and continuous treatment, this procession of deaths will be hard to stop.