An analysis of total population morbidity in accordance with the rate of seeking medical advice evidences a further deterioration of the situation.

The spreading of diseases of 17 classes has increased in 1998 as compared to 1997. The most essential changes are observed in the class of diseases of the blood and hemopoietic organs (by 11.2%); among them cases of anemia have increased by 12.2%. The blood and hemopoietic organs system most keenly reacts to existing negative factors (socio-economic crisis, environmental conditions). Diseases of the blood and hemopoietic organs are most widely distributed in the southern (16%), south-eastern (14%) and north-eastern (13.6%) regions.

Diseases of the urogenital system occupy the second place in terms of increase of spreading rate (by 8.6%); this most of all concerns kidney infections (by 10.1%) and diseases of genital organs in women (by 8.4%).

The spreading of diseases of the osteomuscular system has increased by 8.0%.

Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs have increased by 7.5%, and glaucoma by 4.5%.

Blood circulation system diseases have increased by 7.3% during the year; the spreading of stenocardia by 10.3% and cerebro-vascular diseases by 8.8%. The rate of the spreading of blood circulation system diseases (8.5–7.2%) has increased in almost all the regions of Ukraine in 1998 as compared to 1997, except for the central region where the rate of increase was 5.3%. The highest level of spreading of this pathology is observed, as before, in the north-eastern and central regions, i.e., in the regions with the oldest population (Table 6.3). The lowest level of spreading of these diseases was observed in the western region.

The spreading of respiratory system diseases occupies the first place in the structure of disease spreading. The level decreased slightly in 1998 as compared to 1997, which is connected with the annual mutability of influenza agents.

The increase and spreading of infectious and parasitic diseases cause essential anxiety for the sanitary-epidemiological state in the country. The disease level has grown by 8.8% in the south-eastern and by 8.3% in the north-eastern regions.

The after-effects of the Chernobyl disaster have influenced the total number of cases of hypertrophy of the thyroid gland and a class of diseases of the endocrine system, with digestive and metabolic disturbances. The spreading of these diseases is highest in the central region, and the rates of increase are highest in the western region (increase by 10% as compared to 1997). There are rather high rates of increase (6.5%) in the south-eastern region.

The number of neoplasms is increasing annually with the same index of 2.5 – 3.0%. Considerable differentiation is observed from region to region: the highest level in the regions with the oldest population (the north-eastern region) and in the regions highly polluted with industrial wastes (the south-eastern region).

There is a tendency towards a decrease of traumatism which is mainly connected which the decrease of production intensity. The highest level of traumas and poisoning is observed in the most industrially developed south-eastern region. The excess is 18.9% as compared to the southern and 44.4% as compared to the western region.

Thus the analysis of population morbidity in the regions of Ukraine show considerable differentiation.

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