Cases of sudden death among relatively younger people are increasingly coming to light in Bangladesh. Death after suddenly falling ill at work, or death in hospital after becoming seriously ill after returning home, are no longer rare. Non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer play a major role behind this.
Some days ago, Muksemul Hakim suffered a stroke one afternoon while on duty at Chattogram Custom House. He did not understand it at the time. After returning home at night and feeling ill, family members took him to hospital. Hakim, 42, died there.
Doctors at Chattogram Medical College Hospital told his family members that he had suffered a stroke once at noon. While being taken to hospital, Hakim told relatives that he felt very unwell at the office around 12 noon. He also had symptoms such as pain in the neck and limbs, nausea and dizziness. He had no major illness before that.
According to World Health Organization data, a large share of total deaths in Bangladesh occurs because of non-communicable diseases. Diseases such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer and kidney complications play a major role.
According to WHO Bangladesh data for 2025, non-communicable diseases are responsible for 71 percent of the country’s total deaths, and more than half of those deaths are premature.
Why non-communicable diseases are risky
Non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, are also known as long-term diseases. They can occur through the combined effects of genetic, physical, environmental and behavioral factors.
The risk of these diseases is not limited by age, region or country. People of all ages can be affected. The main ones include heart disease and stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, cancer and kidney complications.
According to WHO estimates, about 1 crore 80 lakh people worldwide die from non-communicable diseases every year before the age of 70. About 82 percent of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
In Bangladesh too, deaths are being reported after people suddenly fall ill at workplaces or elsewhere. Doctors later say the person had heart disease, stroke or another non-communicable disease.
A research report by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, or IEDCR, said 1 and a half crore people aged 30 to 69 die of non-communicable diseases every year.
Heart disease or heart attack
The IEDCR report said cardiovascular disease or heart disease, especially coronary artery disease, is gradually taking the form of an epidemic in Bangladesh. At the same time, cases of high blood pressure and heart failure are also increasing.
For the heart to function properly, adequate blood supply to the heart is needed. If the blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart becomes blocked, blood cannot reach properly. This causes a shortage of oxygen in the heart muscle. A heart attack can then occur.
A prior illness is not necessary for a heart attack. Even apparently healthy people can be affected.
The main symptom of a heart attack is pain in the middle of the chest. Doctors call it central chest pain. This pain may gradually increase. Later, it may spread toward the left arm and neck.
Pain in the jaw and back can also be a sign of heart attack. Such symptoms are seen more often among women. Severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, nausea and vomiting can also be signs of a heart attack.
If such symptoms appear, medical care should be sought quickly without delay.
Stroke
After heart disease, stroke is also a major cause of death. Many people think stroke and heart attack are the same disease, but the two are completely different.
Stroke mainly affects the brain. If blood supply to any part of the brain stops or a blood vessel ruptures, brain cells are damaged. A stroke can then occur.
Usually people above 60 are at higher risk of stroke. But now young people and even children are also being affected by stroke.
There are different types of stroke, including mild stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. The extent of damage depends on which part of the brain and how large an area is affected.
The most important issue in stroke is time. If treatment can begin quickly, the patient can be protected from major harm. Doctors say the sooner a patient receives treatment, the lower the risk of damage.
Common symptoms of stroke include sudden numbness in an arm, leg or one side of the body; inability to raise an arm; blurred vision; difficulty speaking or slurred speech; difficulty swallowing; numbness of the tongue or facial drooping; loss of body balance; falling after losing control or losing consciousness; nausea, vomiting or seizures.
Diabetes
The rate of diabetes is increasing among people of all ages in Bangladesh. According to the International Diabetes Federation, or IDF, Bangladesh has more than 1 crore 38 lakh adult diabetes patients.
In terms of total patient numbers, Bangladesh now ranks eighth in the world. The IDF estimates that Bangladesh may rise to seventh place by 2045. At that time, the number of diabetes patients may rise to 2 crore 23 lakh.
The IDF says 43 percent of people in Bangladesh do not even know they have diabetes. That means they remain outside diagnosis.
In 2022, the non-communicable disease control division of the health directorate conducted a study in the country’s eight divisions. It found that 7 out of every 100 young men and women aged 15 to 35 have diabetes. The study also found that young women are more affected by the disease than men.
The IDF said excess weight, obesity and high blood pressure are significantly related to type 2 diabetes.
Chronic respiratory disease
Diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, fall under chronic respiratory disease.
In Bangladesh, nearly two-thirds of patients do not know that they are suffering from incurable lung problems. These diseases are seen more often in rural areas than in cities.
IEDCR research found links between chronic respiratory disease and the use of fuels such as cow dung, dried dung cakes and firewood, as well as smoking.
According to WHO data, more than 30 percent of people in the country die after being affected by lung-related diseases. Men are more affected by this disease than women.
Cancer
The number of people affected by cancer is also increasing in Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, cancer is the sixth leading cause of death in the country.
According to WHO data, more than 1 lakh 16 thousand 500 people die in Bangladesh every year from different types of cancer. During the same period, more than 1 lakh 67 thousand people are newly diagnosed with cancer. Doctors say the actual number may be higher.
At the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital in Dhaka alone, about 42 and a half thousand cancer patients received treatment last year. Among them, 31 thousand were new patients.
According to WHO estimates, about 3 lakh 46 thousand people in Bangladesh currently have cancer. This number is about 11 percent higher than in 2018. During the same period, the death rate among cancer patients rose by about 8 percent.
Lung and oral cancers are more common among men. Breast and cervical cancers are more common among women.
A Bangladesh Medical University study last year found that cancer causes 11.9 percent of deaths in the country each year. The study said that although there are 38 types of cancer in the country, lung, laryngeal and stomach cancers cause the most deaths.
The five most commonly seen types of cancer in the study included breast, lip and oral cavity, stomach, laryngeal and cervical cancer.
WHO cancer surveillance data also show 1 lakh 67 thousand 256 new cancer diagnoses and 1 lakh 16 thousand 598 deaths in Bangladesh in 2022.
How premature deaths can be reduced
Experts say the risk of these diseases is increasing among relatively younger people because of lifestyle changes, tobacco use, dietary changes, air pollution and various other reasons.
Public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hossain said premature death can be prevented if three steps are taken: preventive measures, rapid diagnosis and easy access to emergency health services.
He said emergency healthcare is still not easily available in Bangladesh. Therefore, step-by-step measures must be taken to stay healthy in order to confront disease.
First, people must be habituated to healthy lifestyles from childhood. Second, diseases must be diagnosed quickly when symptoms or signs appear. For this, regular blood pressure and diabetes tests, and urine tests when needed, are necessary.
Third, the capacity to provide rapid healthcare in emergencies must be increased. This can reduce unwanted deaths. The most important message of the report is that sudden death at a young age is not caused by only one disease; multiple non-communicable diseases and related risks are involved.
Current WHO data also show heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease as the main burden behind premature deaths.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report