Chronic Diseases

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Abstract
This chapter describes social injustice in relation to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and aging and risk factors. It considers how social injustice influences chronic diseases in terms of social class and chronic disease risks and outcomes, cumulative exposure to risks, comorbidity, and access to quality medical care. It looks at roots and underlying issues, including macroeconomic influences, urban and rural factors, and generally weak chronic disease policies and programs in developing countries. It describes what needs to be done, including institution of comprehensive prevention, health promotion, and treatment policies, as well as emphasizing prevention and health promotion, strengthening capacity and mobilizing resources, developing global norms that benefit developing countries, reorienting health services to address chronic disease, and promoting broader societal changes.