Learn about the top causes of death among Malaysians and their impact on your finances. Are you at risk?

As Malaysians get busier, we spend less time on caring for our health. Thus, health risks associated with a busy and stressful life are becoming more and more commonplace in your lives.

Because most of us wish to live long lives, it is important to get yourself checked and treated if you’ve already developed a health risk. Aside from being tough on you physically, mentally, and emotionally, dealing with health problems also take a toll on your finances.

The purpose of this article is to help you educate yourself on which health problems you are likely to face if you’re not taking care of yourself yet.

Using official data, we will look into the top 6 causes of death Malaysians today most often face. We’ll also cover how tackling each can impact your finances.

Our Data

The health data being used in this article are from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). According to DOSM, the following are the medically-certified principal causes of death among Malaysians:

  1. Ischaemic Heart Disease
  2. Pneumonia
  3. Cerebrovascular Disease
  4. Transport Accidents
  5. Malignant Neoplasm of Trachea, Bronchus, and Lung
  6. Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
  7. Disease of the Liver
  8. Malignant Neoplasm of Breast
  9. Malignant Neoplasm of Colon, Rectum, and Anus
  10. Hypertensive Disease
  11. Diabetes

For more details on top causes of death by further breakdown of categories, do refer to DOSM. 

#1: Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one cause of deaths in Malaysia, contributing 18,267 deaths at its peak in 2018 in the last 5 years and 16,325 deaths in 2019. It constitutes about 15% of medically certified deaths in 2019 and is also growing rapidly at a rate of 10.3% every year from 2015 to 2019.

DOSM keeps track of ischaemic heart disease, that is defined as heart problems that arise from the heart arteries narrowing. When this happens, less blood and oxygen reaching the heart and muscles which could lead to a heart attack down the line.

Heart disease is more prevalent among males with 69.4% of deaths in 2019 attributable to males. This situation is even worse for people living in urban areas as urbanites experienced greater stress from the working environment.

Treatment for ischaemic heart disease is possible when caught in time, but it is costly.

Currently in Malaysian private hospitals, an angiogram (one stent angioplasty) cost about RM15,000 to RM45,000 while a coronary bypass cost about RM25,000 to RM80,000 in a private hospital.

Undergoing similar procedures at a government hospital cost much less from RM50 to RM4,000. However, you may not want to chance the waiting time depending on how long the queue is, as delayed treatment could be a matter of life or death.

#2: Pneumonia

Pneumonia claims about  12,081 Malaysian lives on average every year which is very surprising given that it has not received much attention in the media. It reached its peak of 13,804 deaths in 2018, while there were 13,356 deaths in 2019. It currently constitutes about 12.2% of deaths in Malaysia and has been steadily growing by 7.0% every year.

Pneumonia is defined as the swelling or inflammation of tissues in your lungs and is usually caused by bacterial infections. It can also be caused by viral infections, such as Covid-19. Pneumonia is a deadly state where you have severe coughs and difficulty with breathing, which leads to chest pain.

Pneumonia is actually the highest contributor to female deaths in Malaysia, constituting about 13.2% of deaths in 2019. For males, that number is 11.6% of deaths and is the second-highest contributor to male deaths.

The cost of a vaccine for pneumonia is about RM200 to RM300, but that is not the major cost for treating pneumonia. The bulk of the cost actually comes from hospitalization where patients are normally warded for 10 days for pneumonia.

#3: Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke)

Cerebrovascular disease causes 9,154 deaths at its peak in 2018, wherein 2019, it was responsible for 8,691 deaths. It comprises 8.0% of total deaths n 2019, where it has grown at a strong rate of 11.2% every year from 2015 onwards.

Cerebrovascular disease refers to health problems related to the blood flow in the brain and includes stroke, carotid stenosis, vertebral stenosis, intracranial stenosis, aneurysms, and vascular malformations. Ischaemic stroke is the main type of stroke that is closely related to heart diseases where blood flow through the artery that supplies oxygenated blood becomes blocked.

Heart disease and stroke are thus closely related to each other and you need to be aware about the correlation with each other.

Similar to pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease deaths are more common among females at 8.7% of total female deaths in 2019. In males, that number is 7.5%. While males do have a higher risk of heart disease, females need to be aware that cerebrovascular disease actually causes more deaths as a proportion to the female population.

The cost of treating acute major stroke per admission is about RM9,000 while you need about RM3,353 for a minor stroke. On average, stroke patients require about 9.8 days of admission and that adds to the medical cost.

#4: Transport Accidents

Transport accidents actually contribute quite a significant portion to deaths in Malaysia. Transport accident deaths contributed about 4,640 at its peak in 2016, while it currently stands at 4,198 in 2019. It initially increased after 2015 but has subsequently declined to 2015 levels, and constitutes about 3.8% of total deaths.

According to data by Statista, 2019 was the most dangerous year for Malaysian drivers, contributing the highest number of accidents at 567,000. As motorcycles and cars are the main modes of transportation, transport accidents experienced a significant increase during festive seasons as people travel back to their hometown.

If you have the thought that transport accidents shouldn’t be that much of a concern, think again.

Transport accidents are the main causes of death for Malaysians aged from 0 to 40 years old (while heart disease is the principal cause for people aged 41 and above).

Drive safely and defensively, and invest in adequate insurance to protect yourself.

#5: Malignant Neoplasm of Trachea, Bronchus and Lung

Malignant neoplasm refers to a cancerous tumor that spreads, in this case within your respiratory system which are your trachea, bronchus, and lungs.

This contributes to about 2,602 deaths in 2019 or about 2.4% of total deaths. This has also been one of the fastest-growing contributors to death among Malaysians at an average growth rate of 9.5% since 2019.

Cancer constitutes one of the biggest health concerns in the 21st century. If you are afflicted with cancer, the most common form of treatment is surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. These treatments are very expensive even for higher-income Malaysians, what more ordinary Malaysians.

Lung cancer surgery typically costs about RM56,000 in Malaysia. This does not yet include supporting therapy such as chemotherapy and radiation which are also costly.

#6: Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease

Respiratory disease makes up the sixth health risk that you need to be aware of, contributing 3,074 deaths in 2018 at its peak and 2,312 deaths in 2019. It constitutes about 2.1% of total deaths in Malaysia, and is one of the fastest-growing contributors to death, growing at an average of 15.3% every year from 2015.

Lower respiratory disease consists most commonly of asthma but also diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, pulmonary hypertension, and occupational lung diseases. If you are a heavy smoker or work in hazardous environments, you need to be aware of the health risks that come from them.

Conclusion

With busy lives, we tend to deprioritize caring for our health. We think “maybe tomorrow”. However, many of the health risks and life-risks can be better managed with early intervention.

Here are some things you can do today.

  • Put your health in top priority. Prevention is always better than cure.
  • Schedule yearly full-body checkups.
  • Learn what symptoms to look out for.
  • See a doctor when you have concerns.
  • Always practice safe driving and wear your seatbelt.
  • Obtain sufficient insurance coverage to help you during tough times.

Be aware and wary about the health risks above, and do take necessary steps to protect yourself and your family.

 

Let us know in the comments below what other health risks are on your mind!

 

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