More than 10% of Belarus's population suffers from rheumatic diseases - Ministry of Health

December 8, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. More than 10% of Belarus's population suffers from rheumatic diseases, and this figure is constantly growing. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Nikolai Soroka, the leading rheumatologist of the Ministry of Health, today at the Vitebsk Regional Scientific and Practical Seminar dedicated to the issues, methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases of this group. According to Nikolai Soroka, the increase in patients with various rheumatic diseases is primarily due to the lifestyle of modern man. "Immobility, excessive nutrition, low consumption of milk and dairy products are today the main factors contributing to bone and joint damage," the specialist emphasized. He also noted that over the years, the disease has evolved, and many new diseases have appeared. These are systemic connective tissue diseases, systemic vasculitis, and metabolic diseases. A significant breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of these and other rheumatic diseases has occurred in the last decade. Immunological diagnostic methods have appeared, allowing for the correct diagnosis of patients already in the initial stage of the disease. For treatment, a fundamentally new class of drugs has been developed – biological agents that block only the factors affecting the development of diseases. Nikolai Soroka also noted that one of the main priorities of the Program for the Socio-Economic Development of Belarus for 2011-2015, approved at the IV All-Belarusian People's Congress, is human health. "Significant funds are being allocated in Belarus for the modernization of medical institutions. It is planned to complete their equipment in the next two years. Such attention to the development of healthcare allows us to say that in the near future, the Belarusian medical service will be able to reach the European level and keep pace with it," the leading rheumatologist of the Ministry of Health is confident. -0-