Chronic diseases increasing

Source: Xinhua  |   2009-3-1  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

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CHRONIC illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes now affect one in five Chinese, according to a national survey.

Chronic diseases affected 20 percent of the population in all areas where the survey was conducted last year, which means about 260 million Chinese were suffering at least one such illness, according to the Ministry of Health survey.

Reported cases of hypertension and diabetes tripled in the past decade, while the numbers of heart disease and cancer cases almost doubled.

A rapidly ageing population and unhealthy lifestyles such as less physical exercise, smoking and high-calorie diets were blamed as causing the rise in illnesses.

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