China’s first-world disease problems

There are a lot of ways to break down the question of whether or not China still qualifies as a "developing" country, but according to a Lancet analysis of data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation*, China, for the most part, has the medical problems of a rich country these days:  The leading ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

There are a lot of ways to break down the question of whether or not China still qualifies as a "developing" country, but according to a Lancet analysis of data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation*, China, for the most part, has the medical problems of a rich country these days: 

There are a lot of ways to break down the question of whether or not China still qualifies as a "developing" country, but according to a Lancet analysis of data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation*, China, for the most part, has the medical problems of a rich country these days: 

The leading causes of death in China in 2010 were stroke (1·7 million deaths, 95% UI 1·5-1·8 million), ischaemic heart disease (948 700 deaths, 774 500-1 024 600), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (934 000 deaths, 846 600-1 032 300). Age-standardised YLL [years of life lost] in China were lower in 2010 than all emerging economies in the G20, and only slightly higher than noted in the USA. China had the lowest age-standardised YLD [years lived with disability] rate in the G20 in 2010. China also ranked tenth (95% UI eighth to tenth) for HALE and 12th (11th to 13th) for life expectancy. YLLs from neonatal causes, infectious diseases, and injuries in children declined substantially between 1990 and 2010. Mental and behavioural disorders, substance use disorders, and musculoskeletal disorders were responsible for almost half of all YLDs. The fraction of DALYs [disability-adjusted life years] from YLDs rose from 28·1% (95% UI 24·2-32·5) in 1990 to 39·4% (34·9-43·8) in 2010. Leading causes of DALYs in 2010 were cardiovascular diseases (stroke and ischaemic heart disease), cancers (lung and liver cancer), low back pain, and depression.

Dietary risk factors, high blood pressure, and tobacco exposure are the risk factors that constituted the largest number of attributable DALYs in China. Ambient air pollution ranked fourth (third to fifth; the second highest in the G20) and household air pollution ranked fifth (fourth to sixth; the third highest in the G20) in terms of the age-standardised DALY rate in 2010.

Of course, given the staggering rate of industrial growth in China, those air pollution numbers could get worse. 

*Corrected: This post originally attributed the numbers to the World Health Organization

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: China

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