title: Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and cancer in the occupied Palestinian territory.
abstract: Heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the occupied Palestinian territory, resulting in a high direct cost of care, high indirect cost in loss of production, and much societal stress. The rates of the classic risk factors for atherosclerotic disease-namely, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, tobacco smoking, and dyslipidaemia-are high and similar to those in neighbouring countries. The urbanisation and continuing nutritional change from a healthy Mediterranean diet to an increasingly western-style diet is associated with reduced activity, obesity, and a loss of the protective effect of the traditional diet. Rates of cancer seem to be lower than those in neighbouring countries, with the leading causes of death being lung cancer in Palestinian men and breast cancer in women. The response of society and the health-care system to this epidemic is inadequate. A large proportion of health-care expenditure is on expensive curative care outside the area. Effective comprehensive prevention programmes should be implemented, and the health-care system should be redesigned to address these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, Birzeit, occupied Palestinian territory.
authors.forename: Abdullatif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Husseini
authors.forename: Niveen M E
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Abu-Rmeileh
authors.forename: Nahed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mikki
authors.forename: Tarik M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ramahi
authors.forename: Heidar Abu
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Nadim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barghuthi
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khalili
authors.forename: Espen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bjertness
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holmboe-Ottesen
authors.forename: Jak
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jervell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002423:Cause of Death; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult