importance
Last reviewed 01/2018
- half the mortality from the ten leading causes of death can be traced to alterable behaviour (lifestyle)
- early detection and treatment of several common diseases reduce mortality and morbidity (breast and cervical cancer, hypertension etc)
- infectious diseases still kill the poor, the elderly and the immunologically compromised (influenza, TB etc)
- antenatal care has made a major difference to maternal and perinatal mortality
- good primary care of the elderly reduces mortality and admissions to hospital and nursing homes
- a significant proportion of iatrogenic illness is probably preventable