Pathways into Noncommunicable Diseases Start Early in Life

Rae-Chi Huang
& Fiona J Stanley

“We are living in a time of unprecedented risk for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic pulmonary disease. In 2008, it was estimated by the World Health Organization that NCDs were responsible for 63% of deaths (57 million deaths) worldwide. In Australia and other developed countries, communicable (or infectious) diseases are no longer the primary cause of mortality. Instead, we are seeing unprecedented levels of NCDs. While a century ago, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis and gastrointestinal infection were the top causes of death in the United States (causing 53% of deaths), they only now account for 0.03% of deaths. In 2010, heart disease and cancer now account for the bulk of deaths, that is, 22.5% of deaths. The patterns and figures are very similar in Australia. The current top five causes of mortality in Australia are heart disease, cancer, non-infectious airways disease, strokes and accidents …”