Some 61 percent people of Bangladesh die of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the largest health burden in the country, says a new report of the World Bank.
The report also warns that the burden of NCDs will significantly increase as the proportion of people aged over 65 rises to 6.5 percent of the total population by 2025.
The World Bank (WB) launched the report “Capitalising on the demographic transition: Tackling non-communicable diseases in South Asia” on Wednesday.
Bangladesh will face the health crisis with rising rates of heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and other NCDs, it says.
Low birth weight — common among the poor in Bangladesh — is an important risk factor for NCDs in adults, says Michael Engelgau, M.D., a senior health expert of the WB.
And multiple risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and glucose frequently occur in the same person, he adds.
According to the report, average life expectancy in Bangladesh now stands at 64 years and it is rising.
But people here are getting older without better living conditions, healthier nutrition, rising incomes, and access to good healthcare, it says.
So Bangladeshis are becoming more vulnerable to heart disease, cancers, diabetes, and obesity, creating pressures on health systems to treat and care for them, it adds.
The new report encourages Bangladesh to adopt and carry out country and regional approaches to cut unhealthy risk factors in the general people and check NCDs.
