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Countries of the European Union have witnessed a wide gulf in the standards of living of different people, which has resulted in glaring inequalities in income, education, housing and employment. In spite of having seen considerable improvements in the standards of health, the social inequality factor tends to affect the health of the population both directly and indirectly.
Chronic diseases.
Chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and cerebro-vascular disease (CVD) are the most common causes of death in Europe. Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common cardiovascular disease, and the leading cause of death in Europe except in Greece, Macedonia and Portugal. It has also been noted that mortality rate amongst men due to heart disease is higher than in women.
Death rate due to cancer is also on the rise in the EU. Lung cancer due to smoking tops the list among men and breast cancer, among women. The list of cancer related deaths is topped by Hungary, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden.
Another leading cause of death in EU is diabetes, which is also an important risk factor for CVD. Almost 50% of the population is unaware of their diabetic condition, when they have it.
Other ailments that fall into the category of chronic diseases in the EU are liver disease and respiratory ailments. Liver disorders affect men in particular and are attributed to alcohol consumption. Alcohol intake is the cause of premature deaths and ill health in the EU. The United Kingdom and Finland have seen an alarming rise in liver ailments since 1980.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia are the respiratory ailments, other than lung cancer widely seen in the EU. Men are more prone to COPD than women. In the last 30 years, there has been a considerable decline in the number of deaths from acute respiratory infection among children under the age of 5. This has been noted with special regard to CEE countries, Baltic States and Portugal.
Obesity.

One of the growing causes of concerns in the EU is its obese population. More than 50% of the population is obese because of the high calorie food intake. The number has tripled in the last 20 years. A dangerous trend is the rising number of obese children in EU countries.
Communicable diseases
A significant health threat is still posed by many communicable diseases. There has been growth in HIV and tuberculosis cases. The governments of Balkan countries like Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have given high priority for controlling TB. Concern regarding the rise of other STIs like chlamydial, gonorrhoea and syphilis, from the mid- 1990s is also on the rise.
Mental health.
EU governments have prioritized mental health facilities and policies. Various mental disorders form 20% of the illnesses prevalent in Europe. Even though CEE countries have reported a decline in cases related to mental disorders, there has been an increase in the number of alcoholics, victims of various kinds of abuse and those who commit suicide. Statistics also point towards early retirement due to various mental disorders.

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