| The silent killer |  Hypertension is often called the 'silent killer' - silent because it has few symptoms - killer because uncontrolled hypertension is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This week's edition of The Lancet contains a review of the global burden of hypertension. Worldwide, 7.6 million premature deaths were attributed to hypertension in 2001 - the year for which the latest figures are available. About 54% of stroke and 47% of ischaemic heart disease were associated with hypertension. About half of this was the result of clinically diagnosed hypertension - the rest to different degrees of high blood pressure. About 80% of this disease and premature death occured in low-income and middle-income economies and over half was in people aged between 45 and 69 years - a good proportion of anyone's economically active life.
We tend to think only about infectious diseases such as TB and HIV as problem areas in the developing world, but the burden of so-called lifestyle diseases is rising - and rising fast. The age-specific stroke rate in Tanzania is about three to six times that in Britain, for example. Cardiovascular disease also occurs at much younger ages in the developing world - 52% of deaths from these disorders occurs before the age of 70 in India, compared with 23% in established market economies. Prevention strategies are needed urgently - and ones that target the whole population, not just those who are known to already have hypertension.
Bridget Farham Editor
https://www.bizcommunity.com
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Chronic diseasesHeart disease on the increase in young womenCoronary heart disease mortality in younger women could be on the rise, according to findings in the open access journal, BMC Public Health, published by BioMed Central. 60% of deaths from heart disease could be in India by 2010Compared with patients in developed countries, those with heart disease in the developing world are likely to be younger and to first present with more severe disease, according to this new study from India.
Corporate Social ResponsibilityDriving diabetes education nationally - InZalo CommunicationsWith the world's diabetic population sitting at 246 million, there is a dire need for education surrounding diabetes - for all South Africans.
HIV/AIDSUGANDA: Hard labour for HIV-positive IDPsMelia Alanyo, 46, left northern Uganda for the capital city, Kampala, in the late 1980s when the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) started abducting, attacking and killing people in her village. KENYA: ARV programmes slowly recovering from post-election crisisThousands of Kenyans who dropped out of HIV treatment programmes in January as a result of the country's post-election violence are gradually returning to clinics and the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that help prolong their lives. Tanzania AIDS candlelight memorial event[Kahabi Isangula, National Coordinator] The 25th Anniversary of the historic International AIDS Candlelight Memorial - one of the world's first public events against HIV/AIDS that continues to be led by communities worldwide - commemorates a quarter century of remembrance, community mobilization, and global solidarity May 18, 2008.
Infectious diseasesNew rabies vaccine simpler, cheaper and more effectiveThis new method is cheaper and just as effective at stimilating anti-rabies antibodies as the older and more expensive vaccine, according to a new study.
MalariaDRC: Malaria still biggest killerExaucée Makembi, aged three, has been very weak for three days and sleeps in the arms of her mother, Tina Nzongola, who has taken her to a health centre on the outskirts of Kinshasa.
NutritionDairy products and calcium do not promote weight lossThose ads that tell you that eating dairy promotes weight loss are misleading, according to a new study published in Nutrition Reviews.
Public healthSOMALIA: Some 3.5 million could need food aid by end of yearFaced with a worsening humanitarian crisis, 3.5 million people - nearly half of Somalia's population - may need food aid by the end of the year, a food security analysis has warned. Food price increases will increase deaths from malnutritionThe health of at least 100 million people in poor nations could be adversely affected by the sharp increase in international prices for staple foods unless steps are taken to tackle the problem, a Swiss foundation has warned.
Women's healthCosmetic soft-tissue filler linked to renal failureThree women who received cosmetic soft-tissue fillers from unlicensed practitioners in the USA have suffered renal failure. |
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