Chronic Diseases - Term Paper Example

? Chronic Diseases al Affiliation Chronic Diseases Most of us probably suffer from a disease or another, or perhaps we know relatives or someone suffering from a heart disease or diabetes, or asthma. These and other diseases are called chronic diseases and have one thing in common: they are of long duration and are not curable. However, they can be prevented and controlled. In the United States and around the world, the statistics is quite alarming. The number of deaths associated with these chronic diseases is increasing. The severity that these diseases pose on a national and global level prompts the government and countries worldwide to adopt action plan and policies to educate people about the prevention and control of these chronic diseases. There is no cure for chronic diseases but they can be controlled (The Center for Managing Chronic Disease, “What is chronic disease?”, 2011). These diseases can afflict anyone regardless of race or sex. Past studies, surveys and reports all show that chronic diseases are currently the leading causes of death not just in the United States but around the world as well. The ones who are at a high risk of suffering from chronic diseases are those that do not have access to health care, especially those who are living in less developing and developing countries. Chronic Disease Rates across the World According to the World Health Organization (WHO) website, chronic diseases are currently the leading causes of mortality around the world. In fact, chronic diseases account for 63% of all deaths worldwide. In 2008, 36 million people died, of which nine million were below 60 and most of these deaths were in low and middle-income countries (WHO, “Chronic Diseases,” 2011). Stuckler and Siegel (2011) reported that the four major types of chronic diseases (heart disease, respiratory disease, cancers, and type 2 diabetes) were the leading causes of death of more than 35 million people. This means that chronic diseases account for three out of five deaths around the world. Furthermore, poor people are more at risk of suffering from chronic diseases because they live in societies that are resource-deprived. Thus, chronic diseases are coined as “diseases of poverty”(p.1). The following are just some of the diseases listed under chronic diseases: Visual Impairment and Blindness WHO reported that in 2011, there are 285 million people suffering from visual impairment. Out of these, 39 million are blind while 246 suffer from low vision. The majority of these individuals live in developing countries (WHO, “Visual Impairment and Blindness,” 2011). Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) WHO reports that CVDs are the “leading cause of deaths” around the world. In 2008, WHO reported that 17.3 million died due to CVDs. This comprised 30% of all deaths globally. Out of 17.3 million, 7.3 million deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease and 6.2 million were attributed to stroke. The low- and middle-income countries are affected by CVDs; about 80% of all deaths due to CVDs occur in these countries. WHO further predicted that by 2030, about 23.6 million will die from CVDs (“Cardiovascular diseases,” 2011). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) About 64 million people around the world were afflicted with COPD in 2004 alone, and over three million died of COPD in 2005. A large percentage of deaths attributed to COPD take place in low- and middle-income countries (WHO, “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” 2011). Diabetes Presently, there are more than 300 million people having diabetes around the world. A 2011 report of WHO showed that in 2004, about 3.4 million people died due to high blood sugar. As with the previously mentioned diseases, about 80% of deaths related to diabetes take place in low- and middle-income countries. The number of deaths will double by 2030 (“Diabetes,” 2011). Asthma Presently, there are about 235 million people who are afflicted with asthma. Children are usually afflicted by this disease. People living in low- and lower-middle income countries are at high risk of death from asthma (“Asthma,” 2011). Obesity and Overweight These diseases are the fifth leading causes of deaths globally. The number of people who are overweight or obese is increasing. Each year, almost three million people die because of being overweight or obese. In 2008, 1.5 billion people aged 20 and above were reported as overweight. In 2010, almost 43 million children were overweight (WHO, “Obesity and overweight,” 2011). Overweight and obesity can further aggravate other health conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and respiratory problems, among others (The Center for Managing Chronic Disease, “Obesity and overweight,” 2011). Cancer This disease is among the leading causes of death globally. In 2008 alone, there were 7.6 million deaths. The main types of cancer include the following: lung, with 1.4 million deaths; stomach, with 740,000 deaths; liver, with 700,000 deaths; colorectal, with 610,000 deaths, and; breast, with 460,000 deaths. People living in low- and middle-income countries are at a higher risk of cancer deaths. WHO projected that deaths from this disease will increase to more than 11 million in 2030 (“Cancer,” 2011). Chronic Diseases Rates in the US Chronic diseases are also the leading causes of death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 70% of all deaths in the country are attributed to chronic diseases. This translates to 1.7 million deaths every year. Also, seven out of 10 deaths in the United States are attributed to chronic diseases. CDC further reported that among the chronic diseases, 50% of all deaths each year are attributed to cancer and stroke. As of this moment, more than 1.5 million people have died due to chronic diseases (“Chronic diseases and health promotions,” 2010). The following shows the statistics of some of the different diseases listed under chronic diseases in the United States: Asthma Seven million American children are afflicted with asthma. Presently, more than 16 million adults are suffering from this disease (The Center for Managing Chronic Disease, “Chronic disease statistics,” 2011). Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease afflicts most of adults. The Center for Managing Chronic Disease reported that 72, 432 deaths each year are attributed to Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s further afflicts 2.4 million-4.5 million Americans (2011). Diabetes In the United States, 10% of individuals aged 20 years and above suffer from diabetes. The annual number of deaths attributed to diabetes is more than 70,000. More than 20 million American have diabetes (The Center for Managing Chronic Disease, 2011). Heart disease About 26.6 million Americans have heart disease, and the annual number of deaths attributed to heart disease is 631,636 (The Center for Managing Chronic Disease, 2011). Chronic Disease: Definition WHO defined chronic diseases as “diseases of long duration and generally slow progression” (“Chronic diseases,” 2011). Stuckler and Siegel (2011) stated that these diseases may be brought on by living environments and the choices that people make with regards to their health (p.1). Chronic diseases are not cured by medication or even prevented by health vaccines. It is also noteworthy that these diseases seldom resolve in a short time. In the United States and in other countries, chronic diseases present a costly problem, but these are actually preventable by engaging in activities that promote a healthy living such as exercising, eating healthy foods and avoiding use of tobacco (Florida Department of Health, n.d.). Four Most Common Chronic Diseases The most common chronic diseases are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases. CVDs are diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels. There are diseases categorized under CVDs including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, and deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The risk factors for CVDs include smoking, drinking too much, lacking of physical activity such as exercise, and having unhealthy diet (WHO, “Cardiovascular diseases,” 2011). WHO reported that those who live in low- and middle-income countries are more at risk of CVDs. They are also less exposed to preventive measures and do not have the means to access health care for treatment. Thus, these people die younger from complications of CVDs. In addition, the people of the poorest level are the ones affected the most. In fact, WHO stated that CVDs and other diseases further contribute to poverty. As a whole, these diseases further burden the economy of these countries as they contribute to reduced GDP (WHO, “Cardiovascular diseases,” 2011). Cancer. Cancer refers to a group of diseases affecting any part of the body. Cancer is different from other diseases in that it is characterized by metastasis which is the production of abnormal cells that grow out of their designated boundaries and invade other parts of the body. Some of cancer’s risk factors among people who live in low- and middle-income countries are the use of alcohol and tobacco, infections from hepatitis B and C, unhealthy diet and human papilloma virus (WHO, “Cancer,” 2011). There are certain ways to avoid the aforementioned risk factors. One should avoid smoking, alcohol, low intake of fruits and vegetables, inactivity, air pollution and indoor smoke. One should also avoid being overweight or obese and avoid sexually-transmitted infection. A person can also be vaccinated to fight against HPV and hepatitis B virus as preventive measure (WHO, “Cancer,” 2011). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. WHO defined COPD as a harmful disease of the lung that hampers normal breathing. The disease’s primary cause is smoke from tobacco. Although there is no cure for COPD, treatments can control the symptoms and provide a good quality of life for those who suffer from it. Aside from tobacco smoke, other risk factors include indoor and outdoor pollution, dusts, chemicals and respiratory infections from childhood (WHO, “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” 2011). Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and it is characterized by high levels of sugar present in the blood. The primary cause of diabetes is insufficient production and ineffective function of insulin. Insulin aids in moving blood sugar into cells. If insulin does not work effectively, it leads to high levels of glucose in the blood. In type 2 diabetes, certain body parts such as liver and muscle cells do not respond to insulin. Thus, blood sugar is unable to be stored into cells which would have been stored for energy. The risk factors of type 2 diabetes include physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and excess body fat around the weight. According to Eckman (2011), type 2 diabetes can be hereditary. Other Chronic Diseases A list of the other chronic diseases include the following: visual impairment and blindness, asthma, obesity and overweight, alcohol, sickle-cell disease and other haemoglobin disorders, deafness and hearing impairment, and oral health. The leading causes of visual impairment include cataract, and glaucoma. Those who are above 50 years old and those who are below 15 are at a high risk of visual impairment (WHO, “Visual impairment and blindness,” 2011). Asthma, on the other hand, is a disease afflicting the air passages, causing the person to suffer from breathlessness and wheezing. The main cause of asthma is the inhalation of substances that may lead to allergic reactions (WHO, “Asthma,” 2011). Another chronic disease, obesity and overweight, is defined as the abnormal accumulation of fat that may be dangerous to one’s health. The main cause of obesity and overweight is “an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended” (“Obesity and overweight,” 2011). Alcohol, on one hand, is ranked third among the largest risk factor for disease burden. It is usually associated with social and developmental issues such as abuse and violence (WHO, “Alcohol,” 2011). Yet another chronic disease is deafness and hearing impairment which is actually avoidable. Some of the causes include premature birth and other infectious diseases which can then cause hearing impairment (WHO, “Deafness and hearing impairment,” 2010). Who is Affected and How Chronic Diseases Develop Based from the reports of WHO on various chronic diseases, those who live in low- and middle-income countries are the ones who are affected the most. One reason may be due to the fact that these people do not have easy access to health care. Nugent (2008) added that in order to determine who is affected, it is advisable to look at the presence of risk factors. For instance, the poor living in rich countries are more likely to weigh the burden of both chronic and communicable diseases. In low- and middle-income countries, the presence of risk factors varies (p.72). How chronic diseases develop depends on several factors, which will be discussed in the following sections: Lifestyle and Personal Habits One’s lifestyle and habits say a lot about one’s health status. Nugent (2008) reiterated that chronic diseases are sometimes called as lifestyle diseases. This shows that people “adopt unhealthy habits…from personal preference” (p.74). There are people who smoke or drink every day, and then there are those who consume unhealthy foods. These habits can oftentimes lead to chronic diseases. Alcohol consumption. Annually, there are 2.5 million deaths as a result of the harmful use of alcohol. It not only affects the physical and psychological health of the drinker but also of the people around him. A drunken person can turn violent and harm those around him, and they can affect relatives or friends. Harmful drinking also leads to diseases such as CVDs and cancers (WHO, “Alcohol,” 2011). Eating habits. According to Nugent (2008), the changes in people’s diets are called nutrition transition wherein countries go through dietary, economic and health stages in line with modernization and urbanization. Near the final stage of the transition, people tend to consume foods rich in fats, animal-based products, and foods that are high in sugar. They also tend to consume processed foods and less fiber. More often, this leads to overweight and obesity, which further leads to chronic diseases (pp.74-75). Nugent (2008) further stated that economic and social factors contribute to these changes in diets. One factor is food prices. Products such as edible oils and sweeteners are affordable and increased incomes leads to increased consumption of these products in developing countries. Another factor is urbanization and the various trends that come with it. With urbanization, we see that incomes increase, people are more exposed to advertising campaigns, and that more females are employed. These factors contribute to dietary changes. People tend to rely on supermarkets for their food, giving them access to processed products that are usually high in fat, salt and sugar. Not only do people buy groceries from supermarkets. The proliferation of fast food chains and other take-home food outlets has an effect to people’s diets (p.75). Tobacco use. Smoking is a harmful habit as it affects body parts and leads to the deterioration of the smoker’s health. Smoking is also a risk factor for many diseases and can lead to death. In fact, there are 443,000 deaths every year associated with smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention furthered that tobacco use is responsible for more deaths than by all other deaths caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), alcohol and illegal drug use, suicides, murders and vehicular accidents combined (“Smoking and tobacco use,” 2011). Environmental Factors Environmental factors that pose as risk factors for chronic diseases include air pollution, which further aggravates certain chronic diseases such as asthma. WHO further stated that social, economic and cultural changes contribute to chronic diseases (“Chronic diseases and their common risk factors,” n.d.). Prevention Chronic diseases are preventable, thus prevention is of high priority. Chronic diseases can be avoided by steering away from risk factors and by taking preventive measures especially at the early stages of the disease. There are programmes and policies that certain agencies offer to prevent and control chronic diseases. Prevention can be at the individual, local, or global level. Individual Prevention There are ways on how to prevent or control chronic diseases. A person must ensure to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including eating healthy foods, avoiding smoking, drinking, and using of illegal drugs, and being physically active. These activities can go a long way as these can control the devastating effects that chronic diseases can have on a person’s body. Risky actions such as smoking, unhealthy diet and excessive use of alcohol must be completely avoided. Government Efforts of Support On a national level, states and other agencies have long recognized the need to educate people about chronic diseases and how they can avoid and prevent these diseases. The CDC (2011), in particular, have been campaigning and educating people about these diseases. For instance, its office on Smoking and Health “provides national leadership for a broad-based approach to reducing tobacco use.” Government agencies and other institutions have joined in this approach to: 1) keep people from starting to smoke, 2) eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, 3) promote quitting of smoking, and 4) identify and eliminate health disparities related to tobacco use among community groups. This approach entails interventions at different levels. Global Efforts of Support The burden of chronic diseases is one of the challenges in the present generation. Programmes and policies are necessary to prevent chronic diseases from occurring in the first place and to assist those who suffer from these diseases, especially people living in low- and middle-income countries (WHO, “Action plan for prevention and control of nncommunicable diseases,” 2008). According to WHO, chronic diseases present a severe burden for countries, thus action plan must begin at the global level, especially in countries most afflicted by these noncommunicable diseases. WHO furthered that joint action is needed to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of these diseases. As such, it is of high priority to aid developing countries in developing and implementation action plan and policy frameworks for the control and prevention of chronic diseases (WHO, “Integrated chronic disease prevention and control,” 2011). Those who suffer from chronic diseases or their relatives and friends can have a quality of life despite having these diseases. Chronic diseases, which are not curable but are preventable, can be avoided by avoiding risk factors such as tobacco use and alcohol use. The statistics would show how important it is to take action and implement strategies and policies on national and global levels. WHO predicted that the number of cases for each of the chronic diseases will increase in the years to come. This can be stopped when people begin with themselves in preventing the onset of chronic diseases. References CDC. (2010). Chronic diseases and health promotion. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm CDC. (2011). Smoking and tobacco use. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm The Center for Managing Chronic Disease. (2011). Chronic disease statistics. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://cmcd.sph.umich.edu/statistics.html The Center for Managing Chronic Disease. (2011). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://cmcd.sph.umich.edu/obesity-and-overweight.html The Center for Managing Chronic Disease. (2011). What is chronic disease? Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://cmcd.sph.umich.edu/what-is-chronic-disease.html Eckman, A.S. (2011). Type 2 diabetes. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000313.htm Florida Department of Health. (N.d.). Chronic disease definition. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/chronicdisease/ Nugent, R. (2008). Chronic diseases in developing countries. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1136, 70-79. Stuckler, D. & Siegel, K. (2011). Sick societies: Responding to the global challenge of chronic disease. Hampshire: Oxford University Press. Print. WHO. (2008). Action plan for prevention and control of nncommunicable diseases. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2008/wha61/issues_paper2/en/index.html WHO. (2011).Alcohol. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs349/en/index.html WHO. (2011). Asthma. 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Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/index.html WHO. (2011). Integrated chronic disease prevention and control. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://www.who.int/chp/about/integrated_cd/en/index1.html WHO. (2011). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html WHO. (2011). Visual impairment and blindness. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/index.html Read More