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People Live Longer But Get Sicker
According to a study conducted across 188 countries, nowadays people live longer but get sicker. The study took into account the major diseases and injuries matter. The analysis was published in the Lancet Journal.
Via health improvement worldwide, doctors have been fighting to alleviate HIV/AIDS and malaria over the last 10 years, while they have been combatting child or maternal illnesses as well. So it seems the 21st century brought upon major changes in fighting infectious diseases, as a whole.
However, the study pointed out that people have been living with disability and illness even though their life expectancy increased, but not considerably.
Professor Theo Vos, from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and leader of the study, explained that what actually posed a challenge nowadays was the way in which health specialists needed to fight against illness and disability.
Statistics regarding the study showed that worldwide life expectancy at birth for males and females was increased by 6.2 years, whereas the odds of a person to be healthy at birth rose by 5.4 years. These odds are defined as healthy life expectancy. This concept considers mortality and chronic illnesses, such as those affecting the heart and the lungs, diabetes and grave injuries. But what also affects a person’s life expectancy is their financial status, meaning that poverty in correlation with the heavy cost of basic commodities and health aids would play a role in decreasing it.
Moreover, the Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Dr. Christopher Murray, added that:
“Looking at healthy life expectancy and health loss at the country level can help guide policies to ensure that people everywhere can have long and healthy lives.”
In the vast majority of all 188 countries, people’s life expectancy in between 1990 and 2013 was significant. However, in countries such as Syria, Botswana and Belize, a person’s healthy life expectancy did not differ from 2013 to 1990.
What’s more, in Paraguay, Belarus and South Africa it even decreased. On the other hand, the Nicaragua and Cambodia populations saw a significant increase in life expectancy, to be more precise – 14.7 the Nicaraguans, and 13.9 the Cambodians.
There was a top ten of countries displaying the highest healthy life expectancy, where Canada occupied the tenth position.
It seems Japan experienced the highest life expectancy – 73.4 years, whereas Lesotho, 2 years ago, had the lowest – 42 years.
Photo Credits turner.com
