‘Lifestyle diseases’ increasing in 194 countries – WHO

THE number of people afflicted with so- called “lifestyle diseases” like high blood pressure and diabetes is increasing in at least 194 countries, a report from the World Health Organization ( WHO) revealed on Thursday.

According to the WHO Statistics 2012 report, one in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure, while one in 10 adults has diabetes.

“This report is further evidence of the dramatic increase in the conditions that trigger heart disease and other chronic illnesses, particularly in low- and middle- income countries,” WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan said.

“In some African countries, as much as half the adult population

has high blood pressure,” she added.

The report includes information from 194 countries, including the Philippines, on the percentage of men and women with high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose levels.

The WHO said that in high- income countries, diagnosis and treatment with low- cost medication have significantly reduced high blood pressure across populations, which contributed in reducing heart disease- related deaths.

But in Africa, more than 40 percent of adults are estimated to have high blood pressure, it added.

The health agency said that most of these people remain undiagnosed, although many of them could be treated with low- cost medications, which would significantly reduce their risk of dying from and being disabled by heart disease and stroke.

Also included in the report are data on people with elevated blood glucose levels. While the global average prevalence is about 10 percent, up to a third of populations in some Pacific island countries have this condition. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to cardiovascular disease, blindness and kidney failure.

Obesity

According to Dr. Ties Boerma, director of the WHO’S Department of Health Statistics and Information Systems, obesity is another major issue.

“In every region of the world, obesity doubled between 1980 and 2008,” Boerma said, adding, “today, half a billion people [ 12 percent of the world’s population] are considered obese.”

The doctor said that obesity levels are highest in the Americas ( 26 percent of adults) and lowest in Southeast Asia ( 3 percent).

In addition, women are more likely to be obese than men, and therefore have greater chances of having diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

“Noncommunicable diseases currently cause almost two- thirds of all deaths worldwide. Global concern about the rise in the number of deaths from heart and lung disease, diabetes and cancer prompted the United Nations to hold a high- level meeting on noncommunicable diseases in New York City in September 2011,” the report said.