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The world’s biggest killer that you neglect
Incredibly, the indicator of high blood pressure is the single biggest global death risk, leading to almost 11 million deaths annually, causing 19 percent of all fatalities in the world.
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A nurse checks on an elderly patient's blood pressure at Griya Wreda nursing home in Surabaya, East Java, on Jan. 5, 2024. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
S
ome of the world’s big challenges get a lot of attention. Climate change, war and immigration are constantly in the news and receive large funding from states and private philanthropy. Other significant problems like tuberculosis and nutrition receive less airtime and awareness, but count among major global priorities, with funding allocated.
Even the aptly named Neglected Tropical Diseases like rabies, river blindness and leprosy, which kill 200,000 people each year in poorer countries, have their own programs and attention in the World Health Organization.
But there is a challenge which we hear little to nothing about that affects more than a billion people and could be addressed very efficiently. We could reasonably call it the Neglected Enormous Disease.
The world has made large inroads tackling infectious diseases. Two centuries ago, they routinely caused almost half of all deaths, but today they kill less than 15 percent. Instead, half of all deaths are caused by the two biggest killers, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Cancer causes about 18 percent of all deaths, but it is hard and costly to tackle with only modest success rates, which is why most treatment happens in rich countries.
The biggest killer of all, which is technically called cardiovascular disease but mostly consists of heart attacks and strokes, kills more than 18 million people each year, making up a third of all global deaths. A big part of the problem is unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol use, which causes obesity and high blood pressure.
While doctors will tell you to stop smoking, cut down on alcohol and salt, exercise more and eat fewer calories but more fruit and vegetables, this advice is evidently fairly difficult to follow. Tobacco and alcohol regulation can make this easier, along with reducing the levels of salt in ready-made meals.
But focusing on high blood pressure is key to turning around this Neglected Enormous Disease. Incredibly, the indicator of high blood pressure is the single biggest global death risk, leading to almost 11 million deaths annually, causing 19 percent of all fatalities in the world.
