Tag Archives: Disease Control

Heart Disease Age Range

Heart disease age range is not as an obscure topic as one might initially believe. After all, with an aging population it is not unusual for dinner table conversation to turn to when and if heart disease will strike. And quite honestly the topic of heart disease age range, along with what can be done to push it back, or postpone it altogether, has been coming up a lot lately around our dinner table, along with ideas on healthy cooking and getting more exercise.

Heart disease age risk Who is the most vulnerable?

As we age our risk of having a heart attack or stroke increase. Most studies suggest that around the age of 45 the risk for men to rise, and above 55 for women. Basically the older we get the greater our risks of heart disease with the average age for a first heart attack being 66 for men and 70 for women. But if you are younger dont be deceived by these averages, remember they are just averages and young people have heart attacks too. But to answer who is the most vulnerable it is without a doubt the growing senior citizens population.

Heart disease and age risk Why does age play a major role

As we age a number of factors come together to increase the risk of heart attack, artery disease, or stroke. To start with our hearts beat on average about 100,000 times a day and sends 1,800 gallons of blood coursing through our veins daily. Over time the heart simply starts to lose its pumping power and by age 80 the hearts resting capacity has been cut in half.
Another factor is the accumulation of plaque within our arteries which makes it more difficult for the heart to do its job. If not addressed either through surgery or lifestyle modification cholesterol will continue to accumulate in the arteries eventually producing a heart attack or stroke.

Heart disease and age risk Inactivity is often an overlooked risk factor

As we age staying active becomes a greater challenge. Things that used to be a breeze all of the sudden become more difficult. Our joints may constantly ache due to osteoporosis or osteoarthritis. Our breathing may become labored due to smoking, heart strength, or a decline in heart and artery health making physical activity something we would rather avoid. With all of these headwinds it is sometimes just easier to decline an invitation to become more active than accept one. But this type of thinking can get us into trouble according to Center for Disease Control. In statistic compiled by the CDC inactivity was a factor in 39.5 percent of heart attack victims.

Heart disease age range What are the odds of surviving

There are almost two heart attacks every minute in the United States with most occurring in the wee morning hours when blood platelets become sticky and prone to form clots. Ironically, this is not the case for those who take a daily baby dose of aspirin.

The odds of surviving a heart attack are 75 percent for men and 60 percent for women. These are the averages though, and statistically your odds are worse of surviving a coronary event on the weekends when fewer emergency surgeries are scheduled.

If you would like to learn more about heart disease or high cholesterols impact on heart disease Click Here

Higher Diabetes Incidence In Southeast United States

Dr. Munsif reported that the incidence of diabetes is higher in the South when compared to states in the Northwest. Among other states with low incidence of diabetes is Vermont. Incidence in these states was 10 to 12 cases per 1000 when compared to 4 to 6 cases in the Northwest. Similar data was reported for obesity and physical inactivity.
Regional imbalances in incidence of diabetes have been reported. Regions of the country with higher incidence of diabetes signifies existence of environmental factors which trigger such higher numbers.
Diabetes is a major public health problem in the United States and the world.
There are 23 million people (7.9% of total population)who suffer from diabetes in North America and 194 million (5.1% of total population) in the world.
Distinction between incidence and prevalence of a disease
Incidence of a disease is defined as the occurrance of new cases of a disease over period of one year in a given population per 1,000 population. This is different from prevalence of a disease, which refers to all cases of a disease (old and new cases).
Regional imbalances in incidence of diabetes
In the United States, the states with higher incidence of diabetes (10.8 to 12.8 per 1000 population) include not only the states in the south (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia), but also Texas and Arizona and Puerto Rico. States with lower incidence (5.0 to 7.6 per 1,000 population are not only in the northwest (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin) but also Colorado, Ohio, Oregon and Vermont, with Vemont with the lowest incidence of 5 cases per 1,000 population. Virginia has lower incidence of diabetes, although it is surrounded by states with much higher incidence.
Modifiable risk factors for diabetes and correlation of prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity with geography
The South also has higher incidence of the modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes, viz. obesity and physical inactivity. The prevalence of obesity is greatest in the south (27.3%) and least in the northwest (23.1%). The Midwest (25.5%) and Northeast are in the middle with regard to prevalence of diabetes. Therefore, the higher incidence of diabetes in the south is not surprising. Obesity prevalence exceeded 30% in three southern states: Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
The South had greater prevalence of physical inactivity (17.4%), compared with the Northeast (15.7%), Midwest (14.1%), and West (11.2%).
Conclusions
Diabetes statistics reveal regional imbalances. The causes of these regional imbalances (primarily higher incidence in the south) are not known. However, an inference ccan be made from statistics which reveal higher incidence of modifiable risk factors for diabetes (obesity and physical inactivity) in the same geographical area. Copyright (c) 2009 A. N. Munsif.
1. Diabetes mellitus handbook, Morristown Publishing Company, P.O. Box 672, Livingston, New Jersey 07039, 2009.
2. Centers for Disease Control (CDC),MMWR 2008; 57(43);1169-1173 (http://cdc.gov).
3. Geiss LS, Pan L, Cadwell B, Gregg EW, Benjamin SM, Engelgau MM. Changes in incidence of diabetes in U.S. adults, 1997–2003. Am J Prev Med 2006;30:371-7 (http://www.ajpm-online.net/).
4. CDC. State-specific prevalence of obesity among adults—United States, 2007. MMWR 2008;57:7658 (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/).
5. Knowler WC, Barrett-Conner E, Fowler SE, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention. N Engl J Med 2002;346:393-403 (http://content.nejm.org/).
6. United Nations – Department for Economic and Social Information – Population Division. World urbanization prospects: the 1994 revision. Estimates and projections of urban and rural populations and of urban agglomerations. United Nations, New York, 1995. (http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007wup.htm).
Reference URLs:
1. Diabetes Mellitus Handbook – Morristown Publishing Company, P.O. Box 672, Livingston, New Jersey 07039.
2. Centers for Disease Control – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A.
KEYWORDS
Diabetes, Incidence, Prevalence, Obesity, Risk factors
Description
Dr. Munsif reported that incidence of diabetes is higher in the southern states of the United States when compared to states in the Northwest. Among other states with low incidence of diabetes is Vermont. Incidence in these states was 10 to 12 cases per 1000 when compared to 4 to 6 cases in the northwest. Similar data was reported for obesity.