In the years to come, a larger proportion of Norwegians will be over 75, and there will be more people over 90. This will lead to changes in mortality and disease development.
“There will be more elderly people in the population, and the overall decline we have seen in mortality and morbidity in the population is therefore expected to reverse,” director Camilla Stoltenberg at the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) stated in a press release.
On Tuesday morning, the FHI presented a report with projections on some of the most important challenges for public health up to 2050.
Stoltenberg pointed out that diseases such as cancer, neurological diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, diabetes, and kidney diseases will account for a higher proportion of deaths.
Greater need for health services
FHI’s projections show that cardiovascular disease and cancer will be the two biggest causes of death in 2050. Neurological diseases will remain in 3rd place.
The National Institute of Public Health also states that, with more elderly people, there will be a greater need for health and care services – from just over 350,000 recipients in 2019 to 490,000 and 570,000 recipients in 2040.
The number of visits to general practitioners is also expected to increase among the elderly over the age of 70 – from around 3 million in 2019 to between 4.9 and 5.2 million in 2040.
Climate change
Other challenges highlighted in the report include climate change and antibiotic resistance, which create uncertainty regarding outbreaks and treatment of diseases in the future.
“A wetter climate leads to an increased incidence of new vectors that can carry infection and cause diseases to humans. Examples of this are new diseases in ticks, rodents, and mosquitoes,” Stoltenberg pointed out.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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