Cardiovascular diseases top cause of deaths in India: Report

Hubballi: Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the overwhelming cause of deaths among men and women in India, with urban areas witnessing a slightly higher number of such fatalities than rural areas, according to a report.

The Cause of death in India 2019-21 report released by Sample Registration System (SRS) recently states that nearly 30.2 per cent of all non-communicable diseases deaths were due to heart related ailments. At a distant second were respiratory infections (9.2 per cent).

Respiratory diseases (6.1per cent), malignant and other neoplasm (6.0 per cent), fever of unknown origin (5.5 per cent), digestive diseases (4.7 per cent), diabetes mellitus (3.7 per cent), unintentional injuries: other than motor vehicle accidents (3.3 per cent) and unintentional injuries: motor vehicle accidents (2.9 per cent) come next in the list.

Nearly 32.0 per cent of male and 27.7 per cent of female deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases. Death due to heart ailment is the leading cause in all regions, with the highest proportion in the north (34.2 per cent) and lowest in central (22.5 per cent) India.

The report prepared by the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of Union Ministry of Home Affairs states the main aim of the exercise is to record statistics on most probable causes of death.

“Understanding the root causes of mortality is crucial for evaluating the public health implications of particular health concerns and formulating effective approaches to lower death rates. Accurate data on the types and frequencies of causes of death is crucial for policymakers to prioritise health initiatives appropriately,” says the report.

The report also states that non-communicable diseases are the leading causes of death in the country, constituting 54.9% of all deaths. Communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions constitute another 23.9% of deaths. The government claims that compared to 2018-20, the non-communicable and communicable mortality rate has come down by nearly 2%.

Child mortality

The report also highlights high mortality among infants within 29 days of birth. Highest number of deaths in this category occur due to prematurity and low birth weight, followed by birth asphyxia and birth trauma, pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhoeal disease and others.

In the 15-29 age group, motor vehicle accidents are resulting in higher deaths, especially male, followed by suicide, unintentional injuries, cardiovascular disease, digestive disease, tuberculosis, fever of unknown origin and respiratory infections among others.

The report notes that death in early age is decreasing and mortality is shifting to higher age groups. “It shows the impact of proper health facilities, which is suggestive that proper prevention programmes and healthcare facilities can certainly result in improving the situation,” it says.

Highlights - Leading cause of deaths Heart-related ailments - 30.2% Respiratory infections - 9.2% Respiratory diseases - 6.1% Malignant and other neoplasm - 6.0% Fever of unknown origin - 5.5% Digestive diseases - 4.7%

Quote - Understanding the root causes of mortality is crucial for evaluating the public health implications of particular health concerns and formulating effective approaches to lower death rates. Accurate data on the types and frequencies of causes of death is crucial for policymakers to prioritise health initiatives appropriately - Cause of death in India 2019-21 report