Only 4% of people globally were totally healthy.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: A new study published in the British health magazine The Lancet determined that only 4 percent of people worldwide had no health problems in 2013, while a third — about 2.3 billion people — had more than five health problems.
The study, titled “The Global Burden of Disease,” also found that the proportion of healthy years lost to illness has jumped from 21 percent in 1990 to 31 percent in 2013.
The ever-growing number of elderly baby boomers also mean that the number of people who will be living with health problems will rise rapidly over coming decades, the researchers warned.
Published on Monday, the study tabulates data from 188 countries and looks at more than 300 illnesses and injuries. The study is the largest analysis of trends in health around the world for the years 1990 to 2013, the journal stated.
According what U.S. News gleaned from the study, one of every 10 people in the world in 2013 suffered from at least one of the following disorders: tooth decay, tension headaches, iron-deficiency anemia, age-linked hearing loss, genital herpes, migraines, intestinal roundworm, and a genetic blood disorder called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency trait.
The leading causes of illness worldwide were: low back pain, depression, iron-deficiency anemia, neck pain and age-related hearing loss. In 2013, two conditions — musculoskeletal problems (mainly conditions such as low back pain, neck pain and arthritis) and mental health/substance abuse disorders (mainly depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol abuse) — accounted for nearly half of all loss of healthy years of life,” the report’s authors said.
The researchers also noted that modern science seems to be mitigating death rates more aptly than it’s finding ways to lower disability rates.
“Large, preventable causes of health loss, particularly serious musculoskeletal disorders and mental and behavioral disorders, have not received the attention that they deserve,” study author Theo Vos said in a journal news release. “Addressing these issues will require a shift in health priorities around the world, not just to keep people alive into old age, but also to keep them healthy,” he said.