Diseases of affluence
[1][2] They may also be considered to include depression and other mental health conditions associated with increased social isolation and lower levels of psychological well-being observed in many developed countries.
[3][failed verification] Many of these conditions are interrelated, for example obesity is thought to be a partial cause of many other illnesses.
[8] Factors associated with the increase of these conditions and illnesses appear to be things that are a direct result of technological advances.
They include: Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by increase blood glucose level.
[10] Diabetes has been a major cause for blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation.
[10] The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report in 2015 indicating that more than 100 million Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes.
[13] In developed countries like the United States, the risk for diabetes is seen in people with low socioeconomic status (SES).
People who were living in remote or socioeconomically disadvantaged areas were 4 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes as compared to non-indigenous Australians.
[21] Australia incurred $20.8 million in direct costs towards hospitalization, medication, and out-patient treatment towards diabetes.
[26] According to the World Health Organization, Europe had the 2nd highest proportion of overweight or obese people in 2014 behind the Americas.
[34] Lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use can also contribute to cardiovascular disease.
[38] This inequality gap has occurred in developed countries because people who have a lower socio-economic status often face many of the risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use, obesity as well as having a sedentary lifestyle.
[39] Further social and environmental factors such as poverty, pollution, family history, housing and employment contribute to this inequality gap and to risk of having a health condition caused by cardiovascular disease.
The increasing inequality gap between the higher and lower income populations continues in countries such as Canada, despite the availability of health care for everyone.
[40] Dementia is a chronic syndrome which is characterized by deterioration in the thought process beyond what is expected from normal aging.
It affects the persons memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, behavior and ability to perform everyday activity.
Dementia and Alzheimer has been shown to go unreported on death certificates, leading to under representation of the actual mortality caused by these diseases.
[50][51] A new research study has found an association between the affluence of a country, hygiene conditions and the prevalence of Alzheimer in their population.
Decreased microbial exposure leads to immune system that is poorly developed, which exposes the brain to inflammation as is seen in Alzheimer's disease.
The stressful events that they face, unsafe living condition and poor physical health lead to cycle of poverty and mental illness that is seen all over the world.
[54] According to the World Health Organization 76–85% of people living in lower and middle income countries are not treated for their mental illness.
[55] It is estimated that 90% of deaths by suicide are caused by substance use disorders and mental illness in higher income countries.
[54] Those who are impoverished live in conditions associated with a higher risk for mental illness and, to compound the issue, do not have as much access to treatment.
Stress, unsafe living conditions, and poor physical health associated with lack of sufficient income lead to a cycle of poverty and mental illness that is observed worldwide.
Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Iran, the United States, and a number of countries in Western Europe appear to have a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders.
[56] Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases characterized by the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries.
These cells can invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs, which is a major cause of death.
[63] High prevalence of cancer in high-income countries is attributed to lifestyle factors like obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, diet and alcohol intake.
[65] A number of public health measures, such as sterilized milk, use of antibiotics and improved food production have contributed to a decrease in infections in developed countries.
There is a proposed causal relationship, known as the "hygiene hypothesis" that indicates that there are more autoimmune disorders and allergies in developed countries with fewer infections.
