Cancer, cardio-vascular diseases to be major killers in 20 yrs

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) Cancer and cardio-vasculardiseases will be the major killers in India in the next 20years which will also see a substantial rise in the totalnumber of deaths due to chronic diseases in the country.

While deaths caused by cancer are projected toincrease from 73,000 in 2004 to 1.5 million in 2030, those dueto cardio-vascular diseases will increase from 2.7 million in2004 to four million in 2030, according to the latest editionof international health journal ''Lancet''.

As India''s population ages during the next 25 years,the total number of deaths will increase substantially. Thisincrease will largely be attributable to chronic diseases.

Overall projections suggest that chronic diseases willaccount for slightly less than three-quarters of all deaths inIndia by 2030, the report said.

On the other hand, the number of deaths due tocommunicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutritionalcauses in the country is predicted to decrease between 2004and 2030.

Between the same time period, injury-related deathsare estimated to increase by 30 per cent of the total, most ofwhich will be attributable to road traffic injuries andsuicides.

The number of years of life lost because of coronaryheart disease deaths before the age of 60 years will increasefrom 7.1 million in 2004 to 17.9 million in 2030.

More life years will be lost as a result of thisdisease in India than is projected for China, Russia and theUSA combined.

More than 20 per cent of the population has at leastone chronic disease and more than 10 per cent has more thanone. Chronic diseases are widespread in people who are youngerthan 45 years and in poorer populations.

Physical obesity and inactivity are most common amongamong individuals in the upper income categories, urbanresidents and older people.