Lifestyle-related ailments have replaced infectious diseases as the leading killer of Indians, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which said the change reflects a major shift over the past decade.

At present, out of every 10 deaths in India, eight are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes in urban India. In rural India, six out of every 10 deaths is caused by NCDs, reports the Times of India.

Cardiovascular diseases will be the largest cause of death and disability in India by 2020, the paper cited the WHO as saying. It is estimated that the overall prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart diseases (IHD) and stroke is 62.47, 159.46, 37.00 and 1.54 respectively per 1,000 population of India. Additionally, there are around 250,000 cancer cases in India.

