Interpreting the statistics

This article was originally published a year ago, but the information is so important that I will never tire of sharing it. Most of our patients are women, and be believe women’s health should be treated as a whole and not focus on a single disease. I invite you to read this text again and consider how your and the women around you look after their health. –Dr. Pompa.

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There is no media outlet in North America or the world that does not publish or report on figures and statistics regarding obesity and overweight, the alarming rate at which these diseases have been growing for the past few decades has been the topic of news reports and documentaries. However, during the month of October, all reflectors point toward breast cancer and the whole world seems to turn pink.

As one of the diseases that most affects women, no health professional can fail to recognize the enormous efforts made towards raising awareness of breast cancer at a global scale, however, we must take a moment to emphasize that there are diseases that affect a greater percentage of the world’s population; and they cannot and should not be forgotten or minimized.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number one cause of death in America is heart disease, which killed 596,577 in 2010 alone. The number two killer is cancer, but even among women, lung cancer is number one. Data from the American Cancer Society indicated that in 2012, 275,370 women died from cancer; 72,590 from lung cancer and 39,510 from breast cancer. With 2 in 3 Americans being overweight or obese, the American Heart Association urges health professionals and the media to raise awareness on this issue and the related health risks. In 2010, this same organization found that 154.7 million Americans were overweight or obese; 79.9 million were men and 74.8 were women.

In 2012, the International Diabetes Federation estimated that more than 371 million people were living with the disease [diabetes] and 4.8 million people died because of it. They also estimate that by the year 2030 the number of people with diabetes will increase to 439 million, representing 7.7% of the adult population in the world.

This same organization placed Mexico in sixth place worldwide in deaths from diabetes and in third place within the American continent. Since the year 2000, diabetes is the leading cause of mortality in Mexico. Hourly 38 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed.

In recent years, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) many news reports in Mexico presented data that could be interpreted as stating that breast cancer was the leading cause of death among Mexican women, when the fact is that it is the first cause of death from malignancy among women over the age of 25.   www.facmed.unam.mx

The three leading causes of death among Mexican women are cardiovascular disease, first; diabetes, second; and cancer third, with breast cancer in the lead. Among American women the first cause of death is also cardiovascular disease, cancer comes in at second, with lung cancer at the forefront (though lung cancer is less common than breast cancer among women, it is more lethal). Chronic lower respiratory disease is the number three killer.

But as the world wraps itself in pink to rightly raise awareness about breast cancer, which took the life of about 5700 Mexican women in 2012, it is imperative that we talk about the 43,819 women who died from conditions relating to diabetes in that same year and add those who died from other diseases related to obesity and overweight. Mexican women are just an example, but the proportion is similar in other countries as well.

This awareness needs to be far reaching, so that we may understand the true implications these diseases have. In the United States for example, obesity implies an annual cost of 150 billion dollars according to some sources, while Duke University concludes that in 20 years the figure will reach 550 billion.

It is estimated that in the United States there are currently 3 million women living with breast cancer, while 10 million suffer from diabetes; with a higher reported incidence among Hispanic and African-American women.

The advances made toward creating a culture of early diagnosis and timely treatment for breast cancer represents a huge achievement. But let us not forget that we have equally important challenges that we must confront with the same (or greater) conviction and energy. At LIMARP we want women to live free from any disease that may be reversible or treated successfully!

At LIMARP we work consistently and comprehensively so that our patients may be on the other side of these statistics. Our team is at your service and we can help. For a free evaluation call LIMARP International Center of Excellence for Obesity at (664) 686-2542 or fill out a contact form at www.limarp.com

Sources:

www.alianzasalud.org.mx, www.foroconsultivo.org.mx, milenio.com, cdc.gov, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, governmental and non-governmental Mexican agencies.