Chronic diseases on the rise in Shanghai

With the number of the elderly population on the rise, and changes in lifestyle, chronic diseases have become the top killer in Shanghai with over 5 million people battling hypertension and nearly 2 million diagnosed as diabetic.

Unhealthy lifestyle like smoking, drinking alcohol, irregular eating habits and lack of exercises are factors that contribute to chronic diseases.

About 31 percent of local adults are overweight and 8.55 percent are obese. Nearly 43 percent of people have too big waist, the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission said yesterday.

Over 98 percent of the elderly have dental problems that can disturb the quality of life and seriously affect the overall health, experts from Shanghai Huamei Plastic Surgery Hospital said yesterday.