Global rise in chronic diseases combined with COVID-19 bodes ill for world health

A key take-away from the “2019 Global Burden of Disease” study is that many countries—the United States included—must work harder to address common risk factors underlying chronic diseases, especially in light of the COVID-19 crisis. A high prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other medical issues amplifies the effects when health emergencies such as COVID-19 strike, the study authors warn. “It turns out in the era of COVID that many of those conditions are also things that increase the risk of COVID death,” explains lead investigator Christopher Murray, MD, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which conducts the study. “So, that shift towards disability is also a shift towards vulnerability.” The study, done in collaboration with the World Health Organization and reported in The Lancet, highlights several pain points for the United States. For one, the life-expectancy rate has not improved since 2010—partially due to a more than 16% rise in deaths from cardiovascular disease—and lags that of other wealthy nations. Also, the mortality rate for children aged 5 years and younger is nearly 75% higher in America than for peer nations, and U.S. overdose fatalities accounted for more than one-half of the global total last year. The upside, the study authors conclude, is the vast potential for improvement that would come from reducing these risks to health.