A new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) suggests that early intervention and pro-active primary care can avert more than six million annual hospitalizations for chronic diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The study shows that 16 percent, or one in six patients who check into a hospital, do so because of chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Results of the study were announced recently at the Chronic Diseases, Primary Health Care and Health System Performance: Diagnosis, Tools and Interventions – an IDB collaboration with the Government of Bahia and the Federal University in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Policy makers, international organizations and leading researchers from Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and Europe gathered to explore solutions and share innovations on fighting the growing, dangerous frequency of chronic illnesses.

The increasing rate of chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, are due to the region's current unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity and rising obesity. Chronic diseases have become the leading cause of death and illness in Latin America and the Caribbean, responsible for 68 percent of deaths and 60 percent of disability-adjusted life years. The poor in the region remain the most vulnerable, due to insufficient access to screening and treatment services and less ability to support the financial burden of chronic diseases.

The study also shows that most deaths caused by chronic diseases are preventable. Up to 80 percent of heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes could be avoid by lifestyle changes, including replacing risky habits such as smoking and drinking with healthy diet and exercise. Solid primary care has also proven to be a successful prevention tool, by regularly monitoring and managing risk factors through counseling and medication.

The study concludes that a stronger prevention and primary care system can significantly cut the number of hospitalizations caused by chronic illness, promoting a healthier, more productive region with a fair and well-organized health system.

A study of low and middle income countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, published in The Lancet, estimates that US$85 billion of economic productivity will be lost from heart disease, stroke and diabetes between 2006 and 2015 in the 23 countries that were analyzed. Diabetes alone costs Latin America and the Caribbean countries around $10 billion a year.