Science and Health

One third of Brazilians suffer from chronic diseases

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-01 11:36

RIO DE JANEIRO - About 31.3 percent of the Brazilian population, around 59.5 million Brazilians, suffer from chronic diseases, the Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said Wednesday.

According to an IBGE study that analyzed data from the latest national household sample survey, 5.9 percent of the population has been diagnosed with at least three chronic diseases.

The share of Brazilian women suffering from chronic diseases (35.2 percent) is higher than that of men (27.2 percent). This difference is due to the fact that women live longer than men and exercise less, the IBGE said.

Chronic diseases increase with age. Among citizens older that 65, 79.1 percent reported suffering from chronic diseases, while among citizens aged 50 to 64, the rate falls to 65 percent.

Among adults aged 20 to 39, the incidence of chronic diseases is 22.7 percent. Among children aged five to 13, 9.7 percent suffer from chronic diseases.

The study said the three most common chronic diseases in Brazil are hypertension, reported by 14 percent of the interviewees, back pain (13.5 percent), and rheumatism (5.7 percent).

Other diseases include asthma or bronchitis (5 percent), clinical depression (4.1 percent) and heart conditions (4 percent).