Heart disease in pole position
Based on the most recent WHO statistics, heart disease is still at the very top of the list of causes of mortality. With 8.14 million people affected across the globe, heart disease remains the top killer worldwide. Cancer takes second place, with 7.8 million deaths caused by all cancer types together. Third position is taken by cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), also known as stroke, with 6.4 million deaths caused by all types of CVA together.
Life expectancy has dramatically increased since the beginning of the century—by more than 5 years. However, there are still marked differences between different countries and also within countries in the domain of health. Nonetheless, this positive trend in life expectancy is counteracting the negative trends recorded in the late 1990’s, particularly those recorded in Africa due to the AIDS epidemic.
These statistics once again highlight the disparities that exist in terms of access to healthcare between countries, and between the poorest inhabitants and national averages when it comes to services such as reproductive medicine, pediatrics, and gynecology.