Chronic Diseases: Everything You Need To Know

Chronic diseases are those pathologies that affect the body with an extended duration. These are not simple colds, but conditions that exceed six months in length.

In general, chronic diseases evolve slowly and, therefore, are capable of affecting different systems and organs. It is also common for a chronic pathology to be associated with another, such as arterial hypertension, which can coexist with diabetes; also the case of hypothyroidism, which can be associated with other hormonal conditions.

Chronic diseases are estimated to cause up to 75% of deaths worldwide. Among them, heart problems, cancers, diabetes and respiratory symptoms add up to more than 60% in that proportion.

Among those who died from chronic conditions, a third are people under the age of sixty. This reveals that it is not exclusively a problem of the elderly, but that its extension is greater.

As for diabetes, its relationship with being overweight is alarming. As the prevalence of obesity in the world increases, the disease becomes more frequent. It is estimated that in ten years the number of diabetics will double in most countries.

Poor countries problem

Although it is widely believed that chronic diseases are a problem in rich countries, the reality is not. The statistics that have been compiled in this regard reveal that poor countries are the most affected. 80% of deaths from these diseases are registered in low-income countries, and only 20% in rich countries.

In addition, half of the deaths are in the age range of those under 70 years of age. For the times that run, it is a trend of decreasing age. This is due to the fact that diseases appear earlier in poor countries.

Risk factors for chronic diseases

Chronic diseases have a previous stage that are risk factors. These are characteristics of the environment or of the person that make the appearance of the pathology more susceptible.

The risk factors are known, for the most part, and actions are taken to try to control them. Controlling risk factors, there would be up to 80% fewer cases of heart disease and diabetes. The same would happen with cancers, reducing their presence by up to 40%.

Among the most relevant risk factors we have:

• Alcohol: the consumption of this substance generates almost three million deaths a year in the world. Alcohol is capable of causing liver cancer, cirrhosis, trauma and accidents.
• Overweight and obesity: they also generate around three million deaths per year. Overweight and obesity are associated with a poor diet and a sedentary life. An obese person is at a much higher risk of developing long-lasting and disabling chronic diseases.

• Tobacco: cigarettes affect those who smoke and those who do it passively. It doubles the deaths attributed to alcohol, for example, hovering around six million deaths annually.
• Diet: not only is being overweight the consequence of a bad diet. Inadequate nutrition implies a diet with excess salt, with carcinogenic components and little fiber. These diets may be behind the origin of high blood pressure or irritable bowel.
• Sedentary: physical inactivity leads to obesity, contributing to the development of chronic diseases.

The most common chronic diseases

As we explained at the beginning, there are a series of chronic diseases that are the most frequent. Precisely, they are those that cause the highest number of deaths. The four most relevant pathologies in this group are:

• Cancer: in all its forms, oncological pathology represents an important portion of those serious health problems that affect the general population.
• Cardiological: acute myocardial infarctions, heart failure and cerebrovascular accidents are examples of these chronic diseases that not only worry about their mortality, but also because of the sequelae they leave. The different degrees of disability that arise from these conditions affect entire families.
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease): the condition includes asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and atelectasis. The first risk factor associated with them is tobacco.
• Diabetes: both in its infantile-juvenile form – type 1 diabetes – and in its adult form – type 2 diabetes – it is difficult to ignore it. In addition, the trend of its appearance is increasing.