The number of chronic patients is increasing. What should we do with them?

By chronic conditions we primarily mean cardiovascular, neoplastic (cancer), chronic respiratory, musculoskeletal, mental illnesses, and diabetes.

According to WHO data from 2005, five groups of chronic diseases account for 60 percent of all deaths.

• Most deaths within these groups are caused by cardiovascular diseases (heart and vascular diseases) (about 30% of all deaths).
• The second most common cause of death is cancer (about 13%).
• Chronic respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), allergies, occupational lung disease, pulmonary hypertension) are responsible for about 7% of deaths worldwide.
• Diabetes on its own is not among the leading causes of death (it accounts for about 2% of deaths), but it is a major risk factor for other causes of death, disability and other serious conditions (cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, blindness).
• Mental illnesses (various mental disorders, mental health conditions or neuropsychiatric disorders) pose a particular burden in modern societies. (World Economic Forum, 2011)

One of the main characteristics of chronic diseases is that they do not heal or only heal after a very long time; they usually accompany the affected person for the rest of their life.

In the long term one must also consider macroeconomic effects such as the labor supply (there are not enough workers due to many chronically incapacitated or reduced-capacity people), productivity (if there is no one to work, there is no production) and a decline in GDP.

The more chronic patients a country has, the greater the burden on the economy — patients must be cared for. If at the same time the number of people of working age decreases, fewer and fewer people must produce the resources to care for ever more people.

A chronic disease restricts the affected person's normal way of life, worsens their quality of life, work capacity and ability to earn income, but it also "drags down" healthy family members, since caregivers are withdrawn from the workforce, so the caregivers' incomes fall along with the patient's, pulling the family into a downward spiral.

All data indicate that this is the reality in our country today.

In the European Union in the mid-2000s, 20–40 percent of residents aged 15 and over struggled with long‑standing health problems and one quarter of them received long‑term medical treatment. (Nolte et al., 2012) Between 2007 and 2009 the number of healthy life years in the EU decreased for both men and women. Average figures show large differences between and within countries. (Discussion paper, 2012).

In Hungary, the most recent surveys show that 42% of the population suffers from one or more chronic diseases; for example, among those over 19 years old more than 4 million people are registered with high blood pressure and 850 thousand with diabetes (Hungarian Central Statistical Office).

Developed countries around the world face similar problems. They try to create programs and institutions to care for the ever‑growing masses of chronic patients.

What role can a blogger play?

Within the framework of Élethosszig Egészségesen (Lifelong Healthy) my task can be nothing other than to open your eyes and show what you can do for your own long‑term health and, indirectly, for your family's future! There are numerous good examples worldwide, so nothing needs to be invented — just applied in your daily life.

It is worth adopting the words of the father of medicine, Hippocrates, who already 2,500 years ago said: “If you do not change your life, you cannot be helped.”

Now is the time to recognize: if you do not want to become ill and dependent on care by the age of 45–50, you must consider a few important things and act accordingly.

Nutrition: it is important to have a diet that provides the right amount of energy and nutrients. Taste is developed in childhood. If you feed your child, in the name of love, according to the stew–potatoes–cucumber‑salad holy trinity, you do more harm than anyone else. A proper diet does not mean starving yourself or ascetic self‑denial! With a healthy diet you can maintain an optimal body weight and avoid a host of diseases.

Physical activity: regular exercise is extremely important. If you regularly walk, jog, swim, cycle, or do gymnastics, your body will not perceive it as deprivation but as preservation of natural functions: you maintain good physical and mental performance and efficiency. A balanced body is less likely to be attacked by any disease.

Access: society as a whole plays a significant role here. You must ensure that the taxes you pay create an environment in which you can live healthily. You should have access to places where, for example, you can run safely, relax, and participate in community life. If there are no parks, sidewalks, bike lanes, gyms, pools, or community meeting places, you do not even have the opportunity. Small environmental changes can be a huge help — e.g., creating a lit running lane in a park.

Mental health: as our wise proverb says, “A good priest studies until he dies.” Preserving mental freshness is extremely important. The world is constantly changing, and there is always something new to learn. If you do not acquire knowledge, keep informed, or follow technological innovations, you fall behind and exclude yourself from the community. Someone who cannot learn to use a computer and the internet will have a much harder time getting to a doctor's appointment, a concert, a cinema or community events.

Community: loneliness and the lack of friends and acquaintances worsen your mental health. The more active a life you live, the more beneficial it is for your overall health. Maintaining and nurturing community ties is therefore favorable for your health as well.