Rising ailments growing threat

Afast growing but neglected epidemic is afflicting China. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart attacks and strokes, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and diabetes, affect individuals and tend to remain a private matter - but the collective impact on society is often severe. These conditions are now the leading causes of premature death, ill health and disability in China, accounting for 69 percent of the total disease burden and more than 80 percent of total annual deaths in the country.

Although China has seen remarkable economic growth and development for more than 30 years, mortality because of NCDs is higher than in other leading G20 countries: for stroke it is four to six times higher than in Japan, the United States and France. For chronic respiratory diseases, it is about 30 times as high as in Japan.

Based on current trends, Chinese people can expect to live only 66 "healthy years" (years free from disease and disability), 10 years less than in some leading G20 countries. The number of NCD cases among Chinese people over 40 will double or even triple over the next two decades, most of this during the next 10 years. Diabetes and high blood pressure will be the most prevalent conditions, while lung cancer cases will increase fivefold.