This story is from October 2, 2015

11 Lifestyle diseases you should take seriously

Communicable diseases like malaria, cholera and polio have become manageable due to recent advancements in medicines.
11 Lifestyle diseases you should take seriously
11 Lifestyle diseases you should take seriously (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)
Not restricted to adults alone, lifestyle diseases have started hitting kids as well. The shift in purchasing power and the coming in of technology has changed the way our life functions now. Less physical activity, more availability of resources and no time to spare, we have become preys to some extremely uncommon diseases our grandparents had never even heard about back in the 60s and 70s.
While there are communicable diseases like malaria, cholera, polio, which can be managed with the help of proper treatment, there are lifestyle diseases which can be prevented if healthy active lifestyle is followed.

Globally, 14.2 million people between the ages of 30-69 years, die prematurely each year from diseases like heart attack, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Some of these diseases have emerged as more fatal than hereditary diseases or infectious ones.
Some of the most common type of lifestyle diseases are the following:
1. Obesity: We are all familiar with the word and yet tend to ignore it. To see whether you’ve reached this stage, check your BMI. If it is higher than 25, then you are in the obese category. Unhealthy eating habits, stressful lifestyle, reduced physical activity translates to obesity. Anybody who is overweight suffers from breathing issues, blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc. This is also the first step to your body attracting all kinds of other lifestyle diseases.

According to the National Family Health Survey, India ranks second with 155 million obese citizens and this number is increasing at 33-51% every year.
2. Type II diabetes: As mentioned in the first point, obesity is one of the primary causes of Type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is the non-insulin form which develops in adults due to poor eating habits and bad lifestyle choices. India has the largest number of diabetics with type II at 40.9 million. This number is increasing with kids entering the bandwagon.
3. Arteriosclerosis: Arteriosclerosis occurs when the arterial blood vessel walls thicken and lose elasticity. This usually causes blood circulation disorders, chest pain, and heart attacks. Arteriosclerosis is also linked to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Atleast 30-40% of cardiovascular deaths happen in the age group of 34-64 in India.
4. Heart diseases: Any irregularity or abnormality which affects the heart muscle and blood vessel walls can be referred to as a heart disease. Smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol contribute to its development in the body. India ranks number one when it comes to cardio patients with 50 million suffering heart health issues.
5. High blood pressure: 100 million in India suffer from high blood pressure. Some very common reasons for high blood pressure are stress, obesity, genetic factors and unhealthy eating habits. When the reading in the blood pressure machine is 140/90 or higher, your blood pressure is high. Once this happens, you will feel severe discomfort.
6. Swimmer’s ear: When you use headphones constantly and are exposed to loud music more than you should be, the ultimate result of this is swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear causes inflammation, irritation or infection in the ear canal or the outer ear. According to studies, 12.5% approximately have suffered permanent damage to their hearing due to constant exposure to noise. This number is said to be increasing by the year.
7. Cancer: Due to the stressful lifestyle that we lead now, our body’s immunity has decreased. This means that the white blood cells lose their power to fight the viruses that enter our body. Because of this, there may be an irregular cell growth, which can be concluded as cancer. Cancer can be caused due to many reasons like prolonged smoking (lung cancer), too much exposure to the sun (skin cancer).
8. Stroke: When the blood vessel carrying blood to the brain has a blockage leading to an oxygen deficiency for the area of the brain it carried blood to, the result of this is called stroke. High blood pressure, if not taken care of in time with proper treatment, can lead to a stroke. Stroke can also be caused due to hereditary reasons.
9. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: COPB is caused by the permanent obstruction of the airways. The increase in air pollution due to factors like gas leaks and smoking can worsen this condition. In 2014, 4.3 million were diagnosed with this disease in India.
10. Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis can be defined as a group of liver disorders. Liver can be severely affected by heavy alcohol consumption and chronic hepatitis. This has become a common lifestyle disease as many people consume alcohol on a daily basis to deal with stress.
11. Nephritis: When there is swelling in the kidneys leading to abnormal function, it is known as nephritis. There are many causes of nephritis, one of them being an allergic reaction to a medication or antibiotic. Other than this, it can also be caused due to bacterial infections, which may enter through street foods not prepared in hygienic conditions.
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