Non-Communicable Diseases

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer and heart disease are too often presumed afflictions of the wealthy because they are associated with a sedentary lifestyle and alcohol or tobacco consumption. But NCDs lead to more deaths globally than all other causes combined – striking hardest among the poor.  

36 million NCD-related deaths in 2008 
80% in low- and  middle-income countries

Eighty percent of NCD deaths occur in low and middle income countries, and a 2010 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that NCDs are on the rise in these resource-poor areas. Among those living on less than $1 per day, NCDs are often caused by malnutrition, infection, congenital abnormalities and toxic environments – factors only exacerbated by poverty.

More staggering than the statistics are the disparities that exist in treatment and care among poor and wealthy countries. While more than two-thirds of all cancer deaths occur in poor nations, those countries claim only 5 percent or less of the global resources for cancer. Similarly, more than 80 percent of cardiovascular and diabetes deaths and almost 90 percent of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also occur in resource-poor countries.

Ways we can reduce NCD-related deaths: curb tobacco and alcohol use, exercise more often, and eat better food

Addressing the inequalities in NCD treatment among the bottom billion is a priority for PIH. In each of the 12 countries where we work, PIH treats NCD patients by drawing on lessons learned from community-based initiatives to address HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, allowing PIH to treat the diseases and address the economic factors that allow NCDs to wreak havoc in resource-poor nations. 

Common NCDs Include: Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, High Cholesterol, Rheumatic Heart Disease

PIH has taken on a leadership role in rallying the global community to meet this challenge. As a member of the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in Developing Countries (GTF.GCC), cofounder Paul Farmer advocates for more effective and fair interventions.

1 out of every 3 NCD deaths kills someone under 60

In conjunction with GTF.CCC and other institutions, PIH helped convene, “The Long Tail of Global Health Equity: Tackling the Endemic Non-Communicable Diseases of the Bottom Billion,” a March 2011 conference largely in preparation for a high-level assembly UN meeting on NCDs in the poor world in September 2011.

Learn about PIH’s NCD programs, including our Psychosocial and Mental Health Program and our Cancer Initiative

In addition to providing services for treatment, managing infections and drug reactions, creating anti-stigma education and testing for accurate and timely diagnoses, treating NCDs among the world’s bottom billion will require a determined advocacy effort to shine a light on diseases that continue to ravage the poor while being perceived through the lenses of wealthier countries. 

Read more about PIH's work confronting and preventing NCDs:
On February 23, Paul Farmer, Agnes Binagwaho and Gene Bukhman held a press call about NCDs
Paul Farmer, Lance Armstrong and Sanjay Gupta discuss NCDs at Columbia University
View our NCD training manual 
Demanding attention for NCDs
The bottom billion: NCDs and the world’s poor
Chronic diseases and Rwanda