Health: Wounded cities, accused lifestyles

Rome, 3rd of July. (AdnKronos Health) – Noncommunicable diseases are causing about 36 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Many of these diseases – estimated in two-thirds – and the resulting deaths are attributable to risks badociated with urbanization. Cities "kill" mainly because of poor lifestyles such as physical inactivity, responsible for obesity and diabetes, which are in turn related to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The 11th Italian Diabetes & Obesity Barometer Forum in Rome today, promoted by the Italian Diabetes Observatory Foundation (Ibdo), University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Health City Institute, National Observatory of Health in the Italian regions, I-Com – Institute for Competitiveness and Cities Changing Diabetes, under the patronage of Rome and the unconditional contribution of Novo Nordisk
Cardiovascular diseases – recalled the experts – represent the leading cause of death; With tumors, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases are today the main risk for human health and development. "The environment created by urbanization has a strong impact on the health of citizens," says Andrea Lenzi, Chair of the Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences Committee of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and President of Institute of Public Health. "The data we have, however, indicate that only a third of the problem is related to air pollution, although two-thirds are related to individual behaviors that often the lifestyle of the city leads to adopt and which pose serious health hazard. "
Physical inactivity, in fact, causes 3.2 million deaths each year, hypertension 0.4 million, obesity is responsible for 4.4 million annual deaths and pollution of 3.7 million. Not only that, an badysis of the impact on health systems in economic terms has emerged that physical inactivity cost more than $ 37 million in 2013, between health care costs of health and lost productivity, diabetes was responsible for health spending from 612 to over $ 1 trillion over the last 10 years and air pollution has impacted health spending by $ 21 billion in 2015.
"Diseases like diabetes and obesity, also responsible for increased cardiovascular risk, are a serious problem for cities," says Francesco Purrello, president of the Italian Society of Diabetes (Sid). "Just think – he continues – that 65% of people with diabetes live in urban areas and that 44% of all cases of type 2 diabetes are due specifically to obesity and overweight, These data are all the more worrying as the overall risk of premature death doubles every 5 points of growth in body mbad index: a person with diabetes and diabetes mellitus. being overweight therefore presents a risk of death multiplied by two compared to a person with normal weight diabetes, and a person with diabetes and obese even a risk multiplied by four. "
Then there, adds the expert , "what's called 'diabetes' is closely related to the leading cause of death in absolute: cardiovascular disease.In fact, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in diabetes, it is to say the number of people Those with diabetes who experience at least one cardiovascular event in their lifetime are 23.2%: practically one in four. The problem can no longer be underestimated, "especially since the world's urban population is growing steadily and growing every year by about 60 million people," says Domenico Mannino, president of the Association. doctors of diabetes (AMD). According to the International Diabetes Federation, over the next 25 years, 3 people with diabetes over the age of 4 will live in cities, and municipal administrators will be increasingly at the forefront of collaboration with physicians. Municipal government, universities, research institutes and private entrepreneurship can therefore be important. "