...CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN Richard Allen Williams, M.D. Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine President/CEO, Minority Health Institute, Los Angeles, California Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has long been considered a disorder which principally affects men in our society; consideration of the occurrence of heart attacks in females, for example, has been largely an afterthought. In the past few years, however, it has become increasingly obvious that this is not a problem limited to males, but that it occurs with great frequency in women. We now know that CVD is the cause of death more than any condition in women over the age of 50, including cancer (1) and in fact is responsible for more than a third of all deaths in women (2). It is estimated that 370,000 women in the United States die from heart disease each year. However, our knowledge base regarding CVD in African American (AA) women has not kept pace with the accumulation of data on white females. Thus, there is a deficit of information about this subgroup and the prevalence of CVD despite the fact that black women have more risk factors for CVD than do white women (3). The purpose of this paper is to review the subject of CVD in African American women and to focus upon four principal CVD categories: Coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF).The impact of gender and race on each of these...
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...inequalities are defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “gaps in health outcomes or determinants between segments of the population”. The CDC has put together the CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report in 2013 to address the many issues concerning the health disparities of minority groups in the United States. One of the minority groups addressed in the report is the African American or black ethnic group that in 2013 comprised of 15% of the United States population. More African Americans rate health services in their community as fair to poor than whites (Becker and Newsom, 2003). Life expectancy has more than doubled for African Americans in the 20th century but they still face a higher burden of disability, disease and death than do whites (Becker and Newsom, 2003). By identifying and understanding the health disparities and being aware of the differences regarding health determinants and outcomes in the African American population the better able we are to do something to reduce these disparities (CDC Newsroom). The top three Health disparities among the African American population include heart disease as the number one cause of death, cancer, and stroke (CDC and Prevention). African Americans had the largest number of deaths from heart disease and stroke in the United States compared to other ethnic groups. They have the highest prevalence in untreated hypertension which leads to both heart disease and strokes. (CDC) They’re less likely to...
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...OF HEART DISEASE INTRODUCTION Using a descriptive epidemiology approach, this paper will define heart disease and identify the problems of this disease on a local, state, and national level. The objectives of heart disease will be discussed and explored according to health data sources. Also, the impact of the effectiveness of the interventional programs that are designed and implemented to treat and prevent heart disease will be evaluated and discussed, as well. WHAT IS EPIDEMIOLOGY? In layman’s terms, epidemiology can be defined as the study of anything that happens or befalls men. According to Stanhope & Lancaster (2010), “epidemiology is the science that explains the strength of association between exposures and health effects in human populations.” This study deals with distribution and determinants of health related states and the purpose of these studies are to control health. The goal of epidemiology is to identify and understand the casual factors and mechanism of disease, disability, and injuries so that effective programs and interventions can be designed to prevent the occurrences of these disease processes before they begin or progress, (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2010). 3 Epidemiology Part 1 DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY APPROACH OF HEART DISEASE Up to Date (2013) defines coronary heart disease as a pathological process that affects the coronary arteries and the entire arterial circulation. Coronary heart disease and...
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...the United States of America (79 Years). Furthermore, a healthy nation has a chance to reap the benefits of active and rejuvenated workforce that facilitate her progress. The government has a role to ensure that her citizens meet basic health requirements through the provision of essential services to the public. This paper will discuss health situation among the African Americans for comparison and contrast to the national averages. Current Health Status of African Americans Gee (2012) noted that the African Americans have a substandard health status compared to the national average. For instance, this racial group had the highest death rates in 2009 according to the reports of the Center for Disease Control of the United States of America. The deaths occur following severe heart disease and stroke among this race. Moreover, the adults above 65 years in this race had the highest prevalence of hypertension thus surpassing the average records for the CDC. These health risks and diseases make health status of the African Americans poorer than their counterparts from other races in the USA. How African Americans Define Health Promotion The race defines health promotion as an involvement of programs that are community-based with the view to foster participation in health practices. For instance, there is a need for...
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...professionals in the health community. This will be the only way to help the cycle to break that will further prevent other diseases from occurring. Using epidemiology and the epidemiology triangle diabetes in African Americans will be observed. This health concern in many communities in the United States can be prevented and helped, but information is the key to success. In this paper we will be examining the definition and description of epidemiology, the steps and methods of epidemiology, reviewing the data of the selected population. We will also be looking at the epidemiological triangle as well as various levels of prevention. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems. Various methods can be used to carry out epidemiological investigations: surveillance and descriptive studies can be used to study distribution; analytical studies are used to study determinants (WHO, 2012). Epidemiology is a type of science that guides our understanding of the strong points of how exposure and the relation to how it effects our health. Epidemiology can be used for many things such as the use of occupationally associated illnesses (Stanhope & Lancaster, p. 222, 2012). According to the Center of Disease and Control, epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified...
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...Hypertension or High blood pressure is a prevalent cardiovascular disease in the United States and other nations around the world. It is estimated that 1 billion is affected with the disease and about 7.1 million hypertension related mortalities annually. It is a condition in which the long-term force of blood against artery walls is high enough to ultimately cause heart attack, aneurysm, stroke or left ventricular hypertrophy leading to congestive heart failure. Many people with hypertension do not realize they have because the symptoms are subtle and that it generally develops over a long period of time. Most often, vital organs like the kidneys and eyes may damage or other diseases may occur before it is detected; for this reason, it is often called the "silent killer (American Heart Association, 2014). According to Woo & Wynne (2012), a report from the World Health Organization indicates that suboptimal blood pressure higher than 115mm Hg (systolic) is liable for 62% of all cardiovascular disease and 49% of all ischemic heart disease. A normal blood pressure level is systolic reading of blood pressure (SBP) less than 120mmHg with diastolic level (DBP) less than 80mmHg. Hypertension disease has the following stages. A pre-hypertensive level is SBP 120-139, and DBP 80-89. Hypertension stage 1 is SBP 140-159, with DBP of 90-99. Hypertension stage 2 is SBP greater than or equal to 160 with DBP of 100 or more. Stress and emotional tension may temporarily increase blood pressure;...
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...Effects of Disease on the Health Care Industry: Cardiovascular disease HCS/245 Patricia Talbert Due: 03/16/2015 University of Phoenix Material Effects of Disease on the Health Care Industry: Cardiovascular Health Complete the table below for 2 diseases that you have chosen that affects cardiovascular health. In each box, you are required to list 3-5 bulleted statements regarding the heading of that box. Cite your sources using APA format. This section is due in Week Three. |Chosen Cardiovascular Disease |Treatment Modalities |Cultural Beliefs/Practices |Epidemiological Statistics |Available Consumer Resources |Impact on Society | |or Disorder | |Affecting this Disease | |(ex. financing, information, support) | | |Coronary Artery Disease |Quitting smoking and avoiding |Heart disease is a man's disease. |Cardiovascular diseases cause |The CDC addresses heart disease. Great |According to the Centers for Disease | | |secondhand smoke. |(MYTH) |nearly one-third of all deaths |source for researching information. |Control and Prevention, heart disease | | | | ...
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...is a disease that has reached epidemic proportions. In the United States approximately 23.6 million people are affected by diabetes making diabetes the 7th leading cause of death (Healthy People 2020, 2012). Diabetes is a disease that results in the body either not producing or not using insulin properly. Complications from uncontrolled diabetes can result in devastating effects on almost every system in the body. Diabetes is so prevalent that the disease has become a national health objective in the Healthy People 2020 agenda. In 2010 North Carolina had approximately 700,000 adults with a diagnosis of diabetes (North Carolina Division of Public Health, 2011). The unfortunate reality is that approximately one-third of the people in North Carolina have not yet been diagnosed and the screening test, a simple blood test, has only been utilized by approximately 60% of North Carolinians (North Carolina Division of Public Health, 2011). Diabetes is a very costly disease and plays havoc on a person’s body. In this paper the subject of discussion is the public health issue of diabetes and its effect on the communities and population of North Carolina. Diabetes and Healthy People 2020 Healthy people 2020 continues the three decades old national program that is scientifically based and identifies national goals and objective that span over a 10 year period (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Healthy People work to improve health, health promotion, and disease prevention...
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...African American Health Issues Eric Nordberg Grand Canyon University: HLT-305 9-28-2014 The African American population within the United States is a rising minority. There are 44.5 million African Americans in the United States, making up 14.2% of the population. It is projected that by the year 2060, that demographic will rise to 18.4 %( Black or African American Populations, 2014). Similar to any other demographic, the top three causes of death in the African American population are heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Apart from high mortality rate diseases, African Americans have the highest infection rate of HIV and have the highest death rates from homicides (Black or African American Populations, 2014). According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “the health status of African Americans identifies a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and sexually transmitted infections when compared with Whites” (Health Status of African Americans, n.d.). So comparing to the most common population, Caucasians, African Americans across the board have a higher prevalence for many of the major diseases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average for unemployment is 6.1%; the national average for African Americans is 12.6%. With a higher unemployment rate, African Americans experience a higher rate of not having health insurance (Black or African American Populations, 2014). Apart from unemployment...
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...Cardiovascular Disease is comprised of many diseases. These include coronary heart disease, which refers to blockages of the arteries that feed the heart; peripheral artery disease, which refers to blockages of the arteries that feed the arms and legs; and carotid artery disease, which refers to blockages of the arteries that feed the brain. By feeding, I am referring to the supplying of blood to these aforementioned areas. Coronary heart disease, or coronary artery disease is the number one killer in the U.S. Over 600,000 people die yearly as a result of it; and that is only in the U.S. 7.4 million people succumb to coronary artery disease every year (World Health Organization, 2015). Coronary artery disease (CAD) costs U.S. tax payers over $100 billion dollars a year; this includes cost of medical care, medications, and loss of wages and work hours (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). CAD is not as common in third world countries. This is because the plaque that forms inside the arteries does so over many years and peoples from third world countries have shorter life spans than those in rich countries like the U.S. It is considered a chronic, or long-term, disease. Prevalence or commonness of CAD depends on many factors such as age, sex, race or ethnicity, and lifestyle and/or education. It is more common in persons aged 65 or older, but is not specific to that age group. CAD has been found to start as early as age two. It is more common in men than...
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...Heart Disease among African American Women Ciatta Jones, RN Excelsior College Abstract Heart Disease remains the number one killer among women. However, African American women have a higher rate of heart disease than any other ethnic group or demographics and subsequently have an increased mortality rate among other nationalities. They are disproportionately outnumbered when it comes to the obesity rate, stroke and diabetes amongst other groups such as the Caucasians and Asian’s. Contributing factors are decreased awareness and knowledge of heart disease, a low self perception regarding risk factors, ongoing behaviors that are not modified such as smoking, alcoholism, eating fried and salty foods and sometimes the inability to get to medical facilities and clinics. With more education about heart disease and an increased perception of risk, people’s minds will become transformed and will be motivated to modify risk factors related to heart disease. Differences in knowledge and comprehension levels are greater amid those that have a higher educational level. Continual health promotions, fairs, seminars and preventative efforts must continue for us to see positive outcomes associated with a desired behavior change. Keywords: African American, heart disease, women, risk factors, education Heart disease among African American Women The death threat of heart disease is greater than that of AIDS and breast cancer collectively. It is the number one killer of women...
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... DQ 1 The benefits of exercise extend far beyond weight management. Research shows that regular physical activity can help reduce your risk for several diseases and health conditions and improve your overall quality of life. Regular physical activity can help protect you from the following health problems. * Heart Disease and Stroke: Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart's working capacity. Optimizing each of these factors can provide additional benefits of decreasing the risk for Peripheral Vascular Disease * High Blood Pressure: Regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. Physical activity reduces body fat, which is associated with high blood pressure. * Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes By reducing body fat, physical activity can help to prevent and control this type of diabetes. Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for the past 80 years and is a major cause of disability. Nearly 1 in 3 deaths in the U.S. each year is caused by heart disease and stroke. At least 200,000 of these deaths could have been prevented through changes in health habits, such as stopping smoking, more physical activity...
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...According to Professor Detels, the major cause of ill health globally is: a. Smoking b. Obesity c. Poverty d. Sedentary lifestyles e. Malnutrition The major contributing factor associated with death in children under five years of age globally is: a. Pneumonia b. Measles c. Prematurity d. Under-nutrition e. Injuries The United States has led the world in increasing the average life span a. True b. False The highest proportion of premature deaths in the United States is due to: a. Genetic predisposition b. Social circumstances c. Environmental exposures d. Problems with health care e. Behavioral patterns 1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. The leading cause of death in the United States is: a. Heart diseases b. Cancer c. Diabetes d. Motor vehicle accidents e. HIV The prevalence of obese residents among those over 17 years old in the U.S. is...
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...------------------------------------------------- Hypertensive emergency From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A hypertensive emergency is severe hypertension (high blood pressure) with acute impairment of an organ system (especially the central nervous system, cardiovascular system and/or the renal system) and the possibility of irreversible organ-damage. In case of a hypertensive emergency, the blood pressure should be substantially lowered over minutes to hours with an antihypertensive agent. Contents [hide] * 1 Treatment * 2 Incidence * 3 Definition * 3.1 Hypertensive emergency as a generic term * 4 Pathophysiology * 5 Mortality * 6 Clinical history * 7 References * 8 See also | ------------------------------------------------- [edit]Treatment Several classes of antihypertensive agents are recommended and the choice for the antihypertensive agent depends on the cause for the hypertensive crisis, the severity of elevated blood pressure and the patient's usual blood pressure before the hypertensive crisis. In most cases, the administration of an intravenous sodium nitroprusside injection which has an almost immediate antihypertensiveeffect is suitable but in many cases not readily available. In less urgent cases, oral agents like captopril, clonidine, labetalol, prazosin, which all have a delayed onset of action by several minutes compared to sodium nitroprusside, can also be used. It is also important that the blood pressure is lowered not too...
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...Cardiovascular Disease Cameron Mason HPEB 700 Fall 2015 September 29, 2015 Public Health Problem: Cardiovascular Disease Introduction of the Health Problem and Behavior Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is no big secret to those not only in the US, but worldwide. CVD is also referred to as heart disease and is usually a result of atherosclerosis. A few examples are: myocardial infarction, stroke, and congestive heart failure. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There are a few different determinants that relate to this disease which include: social status, environment, support system and their individual behaviors. Individuals’ behaviors...
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