THE Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest factor behind the decline in life expectancy of babies born this year in Malaysia, but other factors such as genetics and the healthcare system are also driving factors, health experts said. 

The decline is not a solely Malaysian trend, as life expectancy is down worldwide due to Covid-19.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said the decline in life expectancy for 2020 to 2022 is attributed to the increase in the number of excess deaths during the pandemic.

“Life expectancy is an average measurement and depends on the number and ages of people who die,” Dr Muruga Raj told The Malaysian Insight.

“During the pandemic, the number of young people dying rose disproportionately and this resulted in life expectancy declining.”

According to a 2021 study published in the British Medical Journal that was conducted in 37 countries, a reduction in life expectancy in men and women was observed in all the countries except New Zealand, Taiwan, and Norway, where there was a gain in life expectancy in 2020. 

The study also found that more than 28 million excess years of life were lost in 2020 in 31 countries, with a higher rate in men than women. 

Excess years of life lost associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 were more than five times higher than those associated with the seasonal influenza epidemic in 2015. 

“Covid-19 must be seen as a wake-up call for all to focus on modifiable risk factors and adopt a healthy lifestyle for longevity,” Dr Muruga Raj said. 

“It should be noted that many young Covid-19 fatalities in the country were associated with comorbidities and/or obesity.”

Figures released by the Statistics Department last week showed that the average life expectancy of babies born this year is 73.4 years, slightly down from 74.5 years for those born last year.

Life expectancy figures in Malaysia have seen a drop since 2020, partly contributed by excess deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Based on the 2022 figures, Malaysian women are expected to live longer than men, with a difference of 4.5 years. 

To date, Malaysia has reported 4.8 million Covid-19 cases and 28,641 deaths. 

NCDs cause of lower life expectancy 

Public health expert Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said accidents and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer are possible causes of lower life expectancy. 

“Malaysia is seeing an increasing trend in morbidity and premature death (below 70 yrs old) due to chronic illnesses, NCDs and accidents. This may contribute to future reduction in life expectancy,” Dr Zainal said. 

“In the future, the quality and accessibility of healthcare services to some groups of population may decline due to high healthcare costs.”

While genetics, lifestyles, and access to healthcare facilities also influence life expectancy, Dr Zainal said Malaysia has been improving in the latter aspects. 

“Mortality in early years of life (infants and children) depends on the quality and accessibility to healthcare. 

“This includes good healthcare, nutrition and immunisation. We in Malaysia have been good (in this respect) and continue to do better over the years. 

“So, the lower life expectancy (now) is probably not contributed by these factors,” Dr Zainal said.

According to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, a total of 252,767 individuals have been screened for NCDs nationwide as of September 29. 

Citing MySejahtera records, he said of those who underwent screening, 173,722 people were aged 40 and above, with 47.34% of them confirmed to have NCDs, 46.34% at risk of developing NCDs, and 6.31% healthy. 

He said the remaining 79,045 individuals were below the age of 40, and the records showed 31.48% of them were confirmed to have NCDs, 54.58% had NCD risk factors, and 13.91% were healthy. 

Those who were found to be at risk were referred to clinics to undergo further examination to confirm their health statuses, he said, adding that they were subsequently given interventions to control risk factors and diseases they might have. – October 4, 2022.