Life expectancy now exceeds 80 years in most EU countries according to the new report “Health at a Glance: Europe 2016“, but these are not always healthy life years. Around 50 million people in the EU suffer from several chronic diseases, and more than half a million people of working age die from them every […]
Longer life, but not necessarily healthier life Read More »
Air pollution is causing around 467,000 premature deaths in Europe every year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has warned. People in urban areas are especially at risk, with around 85{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} exposed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at levels deemed harmful by the World Health Organization (WHO). These particles are too small to see or smell,
Air pollution kills 467,000 Europeans a year Read More »
Unhealthy levels of meat consumption and production are simultaneously driving climate change, diet-related chronic diseases and resistance to antibiotics, according to the European Public Health Alliance. They argue that a transition towards sustainable diets is necessary for a realistic climate strategy and represents the agricultural sector’s main climate mitigation opportunity. Studies suggest that realistic changes
Less meat = better health and better planet Read More »
An international tribunal has upheld the sovereign authority of states to protect health through tobacco control. The World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has confirmed that tobacco control measures applied by the Government of Uruguay did not violate the terms of an investment agreement between Uruguay and Switzerland, under which the
Protecting health through tobacco control Read More »
In the EU: More than 60{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} of people over the age of 65 suffer from one or more chronic diseases 32 million adults are living with diabetes One in four deaths are due to cancer More than 70{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} of health system budgets are spent on chronic diseases One in three children is obese or overweight
Chronic diseases in the EU Read More »
The European Commission’s Expert Group on Rare Diseases has published its recommendations to support the incorporation of rare diseases into social services and policies. Studies have demonstrated that the quality of life for someone with a rare chronic disease is worse than that of someone affected by more common chronic disorders, both physically and psycho-socially.
Rare Diseases and Social Services Read More »
The OECD has produced a paper examining the labour market impacts of lifestyle risk factors and associated chronic diseases, in terms of employment opportunities, wages, productivity, sick leave, early retirement and receipt of disability benefits. It provides a review of the evidence of the labour market outcomes of key risk factors (obesity, smoking and hazardous
The labour market impact of chronic disease Read More »
Members of the EU, including the UK, have worked together to produce a Reference Toolkit for all Member States concerning living organ donation for the purpose of transplantation. It sets out, and describes, the Core Principles for the establishment, organisation and oversight of living donor transplantation, gives examples of good practice, and contains an extensive
Living kidney donations Read More »
Air pollution is the cause of death for more than 400,000 people every year. According to the WHO it is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and cancer. Increasingly, poor air quality leads to a significant worsening of the health of Europeans, resulting in costly consequences for the
Improving air quality Read More »
According to this report, pharmaceutical spending reached around USD 800 billion across OECD countries in 2013, which is about 20{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} of total health spending on average. It also believes that health care is improving too slowly to meet the rising strains of chronic diseases. Through the most recent comparable data on the performance of health
Health at a glance 2015 Read More »
