Spread of chronic diseases: diffusion rates

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death almost worldwide. This is a broad group of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, etc. In addition to having a high mortality rate, chronic diseases can also be particularly disabling, so that combating these diseases is a public health priority. Chronic diseases occur clinically especially in old age, so there is a correlation between the average age of the population and the prevalence of chronically ill people. The South Tyrolean assisted population, compared to the national average values, is still quite young (although in line with demographic trends, it is ageing more and more), with an average age for 2015 equal to 42.3 years and an old-age index equal to 127.5 (i.e. there are 127 assisted elderly people per 100 assisted young people). At national level, an old-age index of 158 is estimated for 2015.* During 2015, the South Tyrolean population with at least one chronic disease was 28.9% (over 1 in 4 people). Women have a slightly higher risk of at least one chronic disease than men: Higher values for the female gender are recorded especially in autoimmune and endocrinopathies. 15 out of every 100 people in South Tyrol are affected by hypertension; 5 out of every 100 people have been diagnosed with a malignancy and 4 out of every 100 men have a respiratory disease. 4 out of every 100 people suffer from diabetes. If we consider only the elderly population (aged 65 and over), 76 people out of every 100 register at least one chronic pathology. Analyzing the standardized rates for territorial areas emerges as rural districts such as those of Laives-Bronzolo-Vadena and Val Passiria record estimates of chronically ill slightly higher than the urban districts of Bolzano and Merano. The prevalence of individual diseases on the territory is not always homogeneous: the Health District of Bolzano has above all a higher prevalence of patients with arterial vascular disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In the Meran area there is a significant spread of hypothyroidism and dyslipidemia. The districts of Bressanone and Brunico, on the other hand, which on average show lower rates, are characterized by a higher prevalence of diseases such as hypertension (Bressanone) and epilepsy (Brunico). *Source: ISTAT