FACE THE FACTS

HEART DISEASE

ü  50% of men and 64% of women who die suddenly of heart disease have no previous symptoms of the disease

HYPERTENSION

ü  Prevalence Rate: approx 1 in 5 or 18% or 50 million people in USA

ü  Undiagnosed prevalence of Hypertension: more than 30% of 50 million are undiagnosed

§  37% of men aged 45-54 have hypertension in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)

§  51% of men aged 55-64 have hypertension in the US 1999-2000 (Health United States, 2003, NCHS)

DIABETES

ü  50% of people who have diabetes ARE NOT YET DIAGNOSED!

ü  Men: 8.7 million; 9% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes

ü  Women: 9.3 million; 9% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes

PROSTATE CANCER

ü  Prostate cancer occurs when the cells of the prostate begin to grow uncontrollably. When caught and treated early, prostate cancer has a cure rate of over 90%.

ü  Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 14 for ages 60 to 69. In fact, more than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

COLORECTAL CANCER

ü  60% of at risk Americans over 50 haven’t been screened for colorectal cancer.

ü  Early detection can save 80% of patients but 50% are not diagnosed until the later stages making their prognosis much poorer

ELEVATED BODY FAT

ü  Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight, and 31% are obese, according to data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

ü  Recent study found that people who are considered obese had death rates from cancer that were 52 percent higher for men and 62 percent higher for women than rates for normal-weight men and women

ü  Women gaining more than 20 pounds from age 18 to midlife doubled their risk of breast cancer

Some lesser known problems related to overweight and obesity:

§  gallbladder disease

§  osteoarthritis (degeneration of cartilage and bone of joints)

§  sleep apnea and other breathing problems

§  cancer (uterine, breast, colorectal, kidney, and gallbladder)

§  complications of pregnancy

§  menstrual irregularities

§  hirsutism (presence of excess body and facial hair)

§  stress incontinence (urine leakage caused by weak pelvic-floor muscles)

§  psychological disorders such as depression

§  increased surgical risk