Hypertension, diabetes cases are rocketing

Cases of hypertension and diabetes tripled from 1998 to 2008, a Ministry of Health (MOH) study revealed on Friday.

"Chronic diseases have topped our work agenda as the major health problem in both urban and rural areas," Rao Keqin, director of the center for health statistics and information under the MOH, told a press meeting in Beijing.

Around 260 million Chinese, or about 20 percent, suffer from the chronic diseases, an increase of 4.9 percent compared to 2003, he said.