'Most people don't die from old age, they die from chronic disease'

NIB Foundation will give $1 million to Hunter Medical Research Institute for projects on chronic disease, mental health and knee replacements. Login or signup to continue reading The move comes amid a big rise in these health concerns, partly due to the ageing population, obesity epidemic, economic inequality and isolation. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates about 15.

4 million people have at least one long-term health condition. The grant will enable HMRI and University of Newcastle researchers to run three programs. Professor Murray Cairns will lead the chronic disease project, which will apply to conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal issues.



"By the time you're 80, the risk and prevalence of chronic disease increases up to 95 per cent," Professor Cairns said. "Most people don't die from old age, they die from chronic disease. "It starts early in life and gradually picks up steam, depending on environmental exposures.

" He said people could reduce their risks with "drugs and lifestyle interventions and hopefully have a longer and healthier life". Not smoking and reducing carbohydrates and sodium intake were part of this. Professor Cairns aimed to use genetic data for "more precise, personalised treatment options".

"It's about reaching out to people interested in using genetics to guide their health and better treatment," Professor Cairns said. "We now have an amazing capability to profile people genetically. "We will analyse people with a blood or saliva sample and look at their risk for common diseases.

" He said there was great potential to improve people's health. Professor Jenny Bowman will develop a program to help people use a free phone and online health coaching service. The aim was to address "the poor physical health that people with a mental health condition experience".

The program sought to prevent illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory conditions. People will receive help to reduce risks such as smoking, harmful alcohol use, poor nutrition and lack of exercise. "People with a mental health condition have much higher levels of those risk factors.

But they're less likely to have help to support them make changes." Karen Ribbons will lead a project to help patients set realistic expectations for knee replacement surgery. "Despite advances in surgical techniques, up to one in five patients are dissatisfied with the outcome," Dr Ribbons said.

"We aim to provide education to help patients set realistic goals, which will help target rehabilitation efforts and lead to better long-term results." Dr Ribbons said about 1 million people in Australia had osteoarthritis. The rate was much higher in people over 60.

"We see it much more in the ageing population we're facing now," she said. Many people turn to a knee replacement when their arthritis gets to a point "where the pain and loss of function impacts on quality of life". Dr Ribbons' research involved programs that "extend beyond physical recovery", with tailored approaches to individual needs.

Almost 70,000 knee replacements are done in Australia each year. "Numbers are forecast to escalate over the coming decades," she said. Health and medicine, science, research, nutrition.

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