Fungal diseases, often overlooked, are now recognized as a major health threat worldwide. A recent study has revealed that the number of people dying from these diseases each year is about 3.75 million.
This figure is twice as high as previously thought. This information comes from a detailed study titled “Global incidence and mortality of severe fungal disease,” published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The lead author, David Denning, a professor at The University of Manchester, conducted extensive research. He gathered data from over 80 countries and estimated that there are approximately 6.55 million severe cases of fungal diseases each year.
This study is a collaborative effort of more than 300 experts from around the world. They provided detailed information about fungal diseases in their respective countries.
Fungal diseases can be caused by various factors and can be particularly dangerous. They are now known to cause more deaths than some other well-known diseases. For example, fungal diseases kill six times more people than malaria and almost three times more than tuberculosis each year.
One of the challenges in understanding the impact of fungal diseases is that they often worsen existing health conditions. For instance, people with severe diseases like leukemia or AIDS are more vulnerable to fungal infections.
This complexity made previous estimates of deaths due to fungal diseases less accurate. However, this new study suggests that around 68% of the deaths (which is about 2.55 million people) are directly caused by fungal diseases.
The remaining 32% had other underlying health conditions, but fungal diseases contributed to their deaths.
An interesting finding of this research is the link between certain diseases and fungal infections. For instance, a significant portion of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and tuberculosis are now believed to be linked to fungal infections.
In the case of tuberculosis, about 28% of the deaths were likely due to fungal diseases. Similarly, for leukemia, a small percentage of deaths are attributed to fungal infections like aspergillosis.
Another critical point of the study is the role of Aspergillus, a type of fungus, in lung and bronchus cancer deaths. It’s estimated that aspergillosis is involved in about 2.7% of these cancer deaths.
Candida, another fungal infection, poses a significant risk, especially in hospitals and among patients with specific health conditions like diabetes, cancer, or kidney failure.
The study estimates that about 1.57 million people suffer from severe Candida infections yearly, with around 63.6% resulting in death.
Professor Denning emphasizes the significance of this research. He points out that previous estimates of annual deaths from fungal diseases were much lower, at around 1.5 to 2 million.
The new figure of 3.75 million deaths per year highlights the increasing awareness and improved diagnostic capabilities for fungal diseases.
This progress is largely due to the efforts of organizations like Global Action For Fungal Infections (GAFFI), The University of Manchester, the Fungal Infection Trust, and others.
In conclusion, the study underlines the growing global threat posed by fungal diseases. It highlights the need for more awareness, better diagnostic tools, and effective treatments to combat these often-overlooked but deadly diseases.
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The research findings can be found in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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