What is the most dangerous disease?

According to the new “Global Burden of Disease” study, cancer the world’s biggest killers. Number one killer is rather high blood pressure.

For the second time the “Global Burden of Disease” -Project (GBD) has published, in a kind of world atlas of diseases, statistics on causes of death, life expectancy and risk factors. The health data of several million people from 187 countries were evaluated this time for. An international consortium has five years working with the data and analyze of this information.

The study shows that hunger in childhood does not cause most case of deaths. The world’s largest health risk is rather high blood pressure, followed by smoking and alcohol. 9.4 million people died in 2010 from complications of hypertension. Worldwide every fourth death due to cardiovascular disease.

According to statistics, in the past decade, even obesity has become a growing problem. More than three million deaths should have been attributed in 2010 to a high body mass index (BMI).

Consequences for health policy.

The “Global Burden of Disease-” study was published in the journal “The Lancet”. 486 authors from 50 countries have worked on it. Among other things, the WHO is involved. The aim of the project is GDB, deaths, illnesses, disabilities and risk factors, divided into regions and populations to quantify and evaluate. Using the study obtained results, policymakers should be able to weigh the priorities they want to put into the health policy in future.

The study authors are calling for a change in health policy. It takes longer for it to be done, that people not only stay alive longer, but also healthier lives can. “Health is more than just death to avoid”, Alan Lopez and Theo Vos stress of the University of Queensland in Australia. Due to increased life expectancy and new diseases come to the health systems added new burdens. With the exception of the situation in southern Africa, the study shows a trend away from traditional health risks such as malnutrition, infectious diseases, or infant mortality to non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.