The American edition of The Lancet has published a medical health evaluation of the world’s population. In 2013, the global survey was conducted, taking into consideration the number of acute and chronic diseases in 188 countries around the world between 1990 and 2013. 35,620 different sources of information have been analyzed reporting about 301 illnesses and 2,337 consequences of various diseases and injuries.
The statistical data showed that only 4.3% of the world population can be called absolutely healthy. Approximately one third of all the people living on Earth (about 3.2 billion people) suffer from five diseases simultaneously, and 52% – from ten or more diseases.
In recent years, the list of the most common ailments include acute back pain, anemia, neck pain, depression, and loss of hearing (age-related); Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes are diagnosed more often today. More than a half of the world’s population suffers from mental disorders and addictions to tobacco, alcohol or drugs.
Analysts estimate that 64% of children are born sick (the statistical situation is mainly spoiled due to the Third World countries). Despite the fact that mortality rates have not changed over the past two decades, the authors came to the conclusion that the percentage of sick people has increased dramatically. This is primarily attributed to the aging of the population. Over the years, a variety of illnesses and injuries, received in the course of life, aggravate and demand more attention from the health care system. Therefore, scientists recommend focusing not on fighting mortality, but on searching for the ways to combat diseases.
