KZBlog

I came across an interesting article about Russia and lifestyle diseases. According to the WHO, a large number of deaths in former Soviet states are caused by strokes and heart problems, which are themselves linked to lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, eating badly, and not exercising. And the picture is apparently particularly striking compared to the much lower incidence of strokes in developed countries. Of course, a lot of this ties into some of the things I’ve said about medicine in other posts: preventative care is not a major priority in Kazakhstan and neither is holistic medicine where doctors advise on diet and giving up bad habits.

Among other things, apparently strokes account for 3% of disabilities in the group of countries in the study. I would assume injuries and accidents would be much more significant causes, but it does make you wonder if you should take out disability insurance, even if you don’t have a dangerous job.