Morbidity of children and adolescents with selected chronic diseases in Poland, 2017–2022

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic diseases are among the most common health conditions of children and adolescents and constitute one of the most serious phenomena and problems in the modern world. Chronic diseases include: asthma, allergies, heart diseases, hypertension, strokes, cancer and mental disorders. The aim of the study was to discuss the incidence of selected chronic diseases in children and adolescents aged 0–18 years in Poland. Material and methods: In January 2024, statistical data were received from the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene in Warsaw regarding the incidence of diabetes (E10-E14), obesity (E65-E68), hypertensive disease (I10-I15) and epilepsy (G40) among children and youth aged 0–18 years in 2017–2022 throughout the country. Then a figure was prepared that illustrates the incidence of the mentioned diseases (coefficient 10/000). Results: The largest group of registered cases (incidence) of overweight among children and adolescents in Poland in the analyzed period was recorded in 2018 (141.2/10,000) and the lowest in 2020 (126.8/10,000). The highest incidence of hypertension was in 2018 – 23.7/10,000. Conclusions: The number of new cases of chronic diseases detected in children is systematically increasing not only in European countries. Chronic diseases are among the most serious phenomena and problems in the modern world resulting from their common occurrence in the population, and above all, from the consequences they cause in the individual and social sense.

Keywords

• chronic diseases
• hypertension
• asthma
• poland
• diabetes
• epilepsy