Top Ten Facts About Silent Killer Diseases

1. 'Silent killer disease' are diseases that produces minimum or no symptoms and are capable of causing death if not treated.

2. Heart disease, hypertension and diabetes are major silent killer diseases.

3. There are other lesser known silent diseases that include primary amyloidosis, Renal cell cancer , pancreatic cancer, Hepatitis B or C infection to name a few.

4. Heart disease is the number one silent killer disease. The main risk factors that contribute to this increased risk include - Hypertension, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and raised cholesterol.

5. Cancer as group is the next big silent killer and comes a close second. Estimated deaths in a year due to cancer is 6.2 million. 1 in 8 death occurs due to cancer and it outnumbers death due to AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria combined.

6. Smoking is an important risk factor for silent killer disease like cancers and heart disease. Smoking causes 87% of lung cancers.

7. Mesothelioma another silent killer is almost always due to inhalation of asbestos fibers and at present there is no known cure for this very lethal cancer.

8. There are 246 million people with diabetes in the world and every year it is estimated that 3.2 million people die due to the diabetes or its related causes.

9. Obstructive Sleep apnea is a risk factor for stroke and sudden death during sleep. The increase in obesity has also increased its risk and incidence.

10. Silent epidemic that is potentially a threat to the health of the world include liver infection from Hepatitis B and C viruses. It can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. Both these viruses have infected almost 530 million people in the world. Every year there are 3 to 4 million people who are newly infected by the viruses. There is no cure or vaccine for chronic hepatitis C infection.