Nearly 60% of Chinese people suffer from ≥2 chronic diseases! Prospective Study on Chronic Diseases in China

Recently, the results of a prospective study on chronic diseases in China suggest that comorbidities have become an important issue affecting the health of the Chinese population.

The study analyzed approximately 25,000 people from 10 regions that participated in the two surveys. Among residents with an average age of 52, the comorbidity rate increased from 33.5% to 58.1% in the past 10 years, and the average number of diseases per person increased from 1.15 to 1.82, with an average increase of 0.42 diseases every five years.

The study defined 13 chronic diseases or health problems based on self-reported medical history, on-site physical examinations, and blood sample tests, and defined comorbidity as having ≥2 chronic diseases or health problems at the same time.

In the two surveys of the study population, the comorbidity rates of people aged ≥65 years were 50.6% and 74.3%, respectively.

The top five chronic diseases in terms of prevalence are overweight/obesity, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gallbladder disease and diabetes.

The study found that the comorbidity rate is higher among the elderly, urban residents and those with low educational levels, and the number of patients increases faster with age.

Moreover, the number of people who suffer from the disease increases faster with age among smokers and excessive drinkers.

Additionally, the study found that the most common comorbidity combinations in this population were overweight/obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease.

The prevalence of the 13 chronic diseases or health problems included in the analysis ranged from 0.4% to 50.2% in the baseline survey. The prevalence of most diseases increased to varying degrees in the second repeated survey.

Source: China Circulation Magazine