New report finds surge in chronic diseases in China

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More and more young people in China are suffering from chronic diseases, warned the Chinese Health Information Association's (CHIA) report released on Tuesday.

It marked the first time that China’s healthcare industry makes use of artificial intelligence technology to analyze the national health trend.

Healthcare industry starts to make good use of AI technology. /VCG Photo

Compared to the one in 2013, the number of young patients having chronic diseases in 2017 has risen to 8.2 percent, said the report. The risk of developing hypertension and diabetes mellitus in young adults is increasing significantly as well, which used to bother the elderly in the past.

According to Guo Xu, the report’s lead author, the change in people’s lifestyle in modern cities may be the leading cause of the new trend. Besides, Guo pointed out that the impact of heredity in the chronic diseases has also been increasing as well.

The number of the elderly living alone in China has increased significantly in recent years. /VCG Photo

At the same time, China’s family structure is gradually changing. With an increased prevalence of the elderly and children living alone, the number of people aged 30-50 living alone in China has climbed to 46.1 percent, said the report.

Also, the CHIA said that more people in China have realized the importance of disease prevention. Young adults prefer to use smart mobile devices to monitor the health condition of family members as well as seek online consultancy.