The comparison of common cancer types and the coincidence of concomitant chronic diseases between palliative home care patients in Lodz Voivodeship and the general Polish population Table IV. Prevalence of diabetes according to age and gender in studied population and in general Polish population (WOBASZ study) Gender Females (n) DM (N = 51)/% Females (DM % in general population) Males (n) DM (N = 59)/% Males (DM % in general population) 20-29 (n = 0) 0 0.5% (n = 1) 0 0.7% Gender Females (study group) [%] Females (% in general population) Males (study group) [%] Males (% in general population) 20-34 (n = 2) 0 2% (n = 1) 0 15% 30-39 (n = 3) 0 1.7% (n = 1) 0 1.3% Age groups 40-49 (n = 12) 0 3.2% (n = 7) 3/42.9% 4.9% 50-59 (n = 43) 5/11.6% 7.7% (n = 48) 3/6.3% 11.9% ≥ 60 (n = 200) 46/23% 17.8% (n = 225) 53/23.6% 16.3% Total [%] 19.7 6.2 20.9 7.4 35-44 (n = 4) 0 9% (n = 3) 0 25% Age groups 45-54 (n = 24) 12.5 27% (n = 24) 0 40% 55-64 (n = 57) 24.6 50% (n = 72) 42.9 50% 65-74 (n = 72) 45.8 58% (n = 91) 6.3 56% ≥ 75 (n = 99) 55.6 (n = 91) 51.6 – – Total [%] 40.7 33 20.9 35.8 Table V. Prevalence of hypertension according to age and gender in studied population and in general Polish popu- lation (WOBASZ study) disregarding the gender of patients (Figure 2). This can be explained by the high rate of lung cancer in the study population (20.4%). Some symptoms which are characteristic for chronic respiratory dis- ease such as dyspnoea and cough may mask the lung cancer, and vice versa. A correlation between chronic concomitant diseases and primary cancer location was only found between chronic pul- monary diseases and lung cancer in our study. According to the combined data from the PMSEAD and BOLD study in Poland, chronic respiratory dis- eases occur in approximately 27% of people [7, 8]. With the exception of asthma in Poland there are no accurate epidemiological data evaluating the incidence of chronic non-infectious respiratory dis- eases. However, because 5% of patients with asth- ma and 20% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have a severe or very severe character, they require hospice care near the end of their life [18]. The Polish Respiratory Society with cooperation of the Polish Palliative Society published recommendations for these purposes in 2011 [19]. In contrast to lung diseases, diabetes was sig- nificantly higher in the study population than in the general population (20.3% vs. 6.8%) (Figure 2). Preva- lence of diabetes according to gender in the stud- ied population was similar (Table IV). High preva- lence of diabetes in the study group was most likely associated with ageing and intensive corti- costeroid therapy, which increase glucose intoler- ance [20]. Corticosteroids are extensively used in advanced cancer for various specific indications such as spinal cord compression, pain relief, hormone therapy and to stimulate appetite and general well- being. There are no reliable statistics about the prevalence of diabetes among terminally ill cancer patients. Corticosteroids are prescribed for up to 30% of the palliative home care population [21]. According to some data as many as 37% of non-dia- betic patients with advanced cancer would be clas- sified as diabetics after treatment [22]. There is evi- dence for an association between diabetes (type 2) and cancer, depending on the tumour site. It is the greatest for primary liver cancer, moderately elevat- ed for pancreatic cancer and relatively low for col- orectal, endometrial, breast, and renal tumours [23]. There are no significant differences in the inci- dence of hypertension for the study group and the general population (38.3% vs. 36%). Prevalence of hypertension in males was lower in the study group than in the general population (20.9% vs. 35.8%) but higher in females in the study group than in the general population (40.7% vs. 33%) (Table V). In a large study of nearly 300,000 patients, it was found that hypertension is associated with an Arch Med Sci 3, June / 2012 501