Chronic disease progress a global ‘success story’The number of people dying from chronic diseases globally fell in four out of five nations between 2010 and 2019, a landmark study has found. The analysis, led by Imperial College London, revealed that progress in tackling cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, was the main driver of declining mortality rates. Reductions in deaths from some cancers – including stomach, colorectal, cervical, breast, lung and prostate – also contributed to the fall. Those behind the analysis hailed the findings as a global “success story”. However, they warned that progress was slowing compared to the previous decade, amid an increase in deaths from dementia and other cancers, like pancreatic and liver cancer.