Differential cancer morbidity towards year 2000 in a population disease outlook across Europe.I. The female gender.
Modern health system research emphasises the transition from mortality statistics via morbidity and risk factors observations to comparative site explorations in defined areas. The health of women from the perspective of their gender has become a priority in medical research over the last decade. Studies of morbidity have been called for as necessary intermediary stage for hypothesis generation, and the formulation and inception of epidemiological projects which are recognized as essential for attaining knowledge on the factors and circumstances that determine diseases and wellbeing in the general population. This applies especially to cancer, where the importance of seeing disease, from a ecological, cultural as well as gender context is evident. We made a comparative analysis of the hospitalization for somatic diseases during 1986-1987 at the Heraklion University Hospital on Crete, and the commensurable Linköping University Hospital in the country of Ostergötland, Sweden. They are representative of their complementary Europian situations and comprise the total hospital admissions in their regions. Large differences were found, notably regarding both cardiovascular diseases and cancer, with lower morbidity in the more 'arcadian', rural circumstances. The results provide unique data on traits and patterns intermediate to the pioneering observations of the Seven Countries survey on the rapidly changing European scene. In the field of cancer the data are effectively unmatched both as raw data and as a platform for further investigation, which we are presently pursuing under the emblem of 'Ariadne's thread'. From a salutogenetic point of view the elderly rural women on Crete, and from a pathogenetic point of view the elderly urban women in Linköping warrant particular attention.
Davidson
K
K
Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences and Public Health Centre, Linköping, Sweden.
Lionis
C
C
Faresjö
T
T
Koutis
A
A
Fioretos
M
M
Foldevi
M
M
Trell
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016387:Women's Health