Poor management of the pandemic hindered progress in many places

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Global life expectancy has increased by 6.2 years since 1990, according to a new study published in . lancet. Over the past 30 years, this progress has been driven by declines in deaths from major killers such as diarrhea, lower respiratory tract infections, stroke and ischemic heart disease. But the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 derailed progress in many places. This is the first study to compare deaths due to COVID-19 to deaths from other causes globally.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers found that the Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania superregion recorded a net increase in life expectancy (8.3 years) between 1990 and 2021. was found to be the largest. This is mainly due to a shortened lifespan. Mortality from chronic respiratory disease, stroke, lower respiratory tract infections, and cancer. The super region’s strong management of the COVID-19 pandemic helped maintain these gains. South Asia had the second-highest net increase in life expectancy among the super regions from 1990 to 2021 (7.8 years). This is mainly due to a sharp decline in the number of deaths from diarrheal diseases.

“Our study presents a nuanced picture of global health,” said Dr. Lian Ong, co-lead author of the study and principal investigator at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Ta. “On the one hand, we see countries making monumental progress in preventing deaths from diarrhea and stroke,” she said. “At the same time, we also realized how much the COVID-19 pandemic is setting us back.”

“Our research paints a delicate picture of global health. On the one hand, we see that countries have made monumental achievements in preventing deaths from diarrhea and stroke. At the same time, We also realized how much the COVID-19 pandemic is setting us back.”

The study also highlights how COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the top five causes of death for the first time in 30 years. COVID-19 has become the second leading cause of death worldwide, replacing stroke, which had long been the leading cause of death. This study presents the latest estimates from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD). The authors found that the superregions hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic were Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, which lost the most years. While documenting the huge loss of life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers also pinpointed the reasons behind the improvement in life expectancy across all super-regions. Looking at different causes of death, the study found that deaths from enteric diseases, including diarrhea and typhoid fever, were falling sharply. These improvements increased global life expectancy by 1.1 years between 1990 and 2021. Global life expectancy increased by 0.9 years during this period due to reductions in deaths from lower respiratory tract infections. Advances in preventing death from other causes, such as stroke, neonatal disorders, ischemic heart disease, and cancer, have also increased life expectancy around the world. The decline in deaths for each disease was most pronounced between 1990 and 2019.

At the regional level, eastern sub-Saharan Africa experienced the largest increase in life expectancy, increasing by 10.7 years between 1990 and 2021. Control of diarrheal diseases was a key driver of improvement in the region. East Asia has the second fastest increase in life expectancy. The region’s success in reducing deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease played a key role.
The GBD 2021 study measures cause-specific mortality rates and years of life lost at global, regional, national and sub-national levels. This analysis associates specific causes of death with changes in life expectancy.

“The global community needs to ensure that people in all countries, even those with limited resources, have the life-saving tools that have reduced deaths from ischemic heart disease, stroke and other non-communicable diseases in most high-income countries. It needs to be available.”

The study not only reveals which diseases caused increases or decreases in life expectancy, but also looks at how disease patterns have changed over time and across locations, the authors write. According to the report, it provides an “opportunity to improve our understanding of mortality reduction.” strategy…[which] It may reveal areas where public health interventions are being successfully implemented. ”
GBD 2021 will highlight where we have made significant progress in preventing deaths from major illnesses and injuries. It also highlights that some of the most troublesome diseases are now concentrated in specific locations, highlighting opportunities for intervention. For example, in 2021, deaths from enteric diseases were mainly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. For another disease, malaria, researchers have found that 90% of deaths occur in a vast region from western sub-Saharan Africa to central Africa and Mozambique, home to just 12% of the world’s population. discovered.

“We already know how to save children from dying from enteric infections, including diarrheal diseases, and progress in the fight against this disease is remarkable,” said the study’s co-first author, IHME’s regional said Professor Mohsen Nagavi, Director of Disease Burden Estimation. . “Now we need to focus on preventing and treating these diseases, strengthening and expanding immunization programs, and developing new vaccines against these diseases. Escherichia colinorovirus, Staphylococcus ruber,” he added.

In addition to providing new insights into COVID-19, this study reveals that the threat posed by non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and kidney disease, is increasing in each country. There is. Researchers also noted unequal progression to diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, and cancer. While high-income countries have reduced deaths from many types of non-communicable diseases, many low-income countries have not.

“The international community is committed to ensuring that the life-saving tools that have reduced deaths from ischemic heart disease, stroke and other non-communicable diseases in most high-income countries are available to people in all countries, even where resources are limited. We have to make it available,” Eve said. Wool is the study’s senior author and a senior research manager at IHME.

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About Health Index Evaluation Institute

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research organization at the University of Washington (UW). Its mission is to provide the world with timely, relevant, scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a variety of projects in a variety of research areas, including global burden of disease (GBD), injuries, and risk factors. Future health scenarios. Cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Resource tracking. and impact assessment.
IHME is committed to providing the evidence base needed to solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation. These are fostered by an inclusive, diverse, and fair environment that respects and values ​​differences, embraces collaboration, and incorporates the voices of all her IHME team members.

About the Global Burden of Disease Study

The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is the largest and most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss across space and time. This project leverages the work of her more than 11,000 collaborators across more than 160 countries and territories. GBD 2021 — the latest edition of his newly released GBD results — includes his more than 607 billion estimates for 371 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories. Masu. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is coordinating this study.