Heart disease is no longer the top cause of death in wealthy countries including Sweden, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Poland and Turkey.
Cancer has now taken the top spot and could become the world’s biggest killer within just a few decades, Reuters reported.
Two large studies published in The Lancet medical journal show cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide among middle-aged adults.
But the finding also notes cancer now kills twice as many people as heart disease in high-income countries.
“Our report found cancer to be the second most common cause of death globally in 2017, accounting for 26% of all deaths. But as (heart disease) rates continue to fall, cancer could likely become the leading cause of death worldwide, within just a few decades,” said Gilles Dagenais, a professor at Quebec’s Laval University in Canada who co-led the work.
Dagenais added the epidemiological transition may be because of improved prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in high-income countries.
Lower quality healthcare, meanwhile, may have contributed to the higher rates of heart-disease deaths in low-income countries, according to the study.
Countries analyzed included Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
