A new report from the Heartland Regional Health Equity Council addressed the disparities in heart disease in four Midwest states: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The Heart Disease Disparities Report provides an overview of the demographics and heart disease disparities in these states. Chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most frequent and costly health conditions in the United States. Latinos are disproportionately burdened by many of these chronic illnesses. The data in the report covers the time period from 2000 to 2010. The data was collected from numerous sources, including online tools, state health department offices, and surveys. Some of the findings from the report include dramatic Latino population increases in the four ...
According to a recent study, 21% of American children over the age of 5 have some form of “abnormal” blood cholesterol reading that leaves them at a greater risk for heart disease and stroke in adulthood. The study was conducted between 2011-2014 federal health data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Overall, more than 13% of kids had unhealthy low levels of HDL, or “good,” cholesterol. The CDC also says just says over 8% had levels of other forms of cholesterol that are bad for arteries. More than 7% had unhealthily high levels of “total” cholesterol. Obesity is a main cause for these trends, according to the CDC. More than 43% of obese children surveyed reported some form of abnormal cholesterol reading. “When one looks at the data it ...
Two new cholesterol drugs are too expensive, according a to a new report-Time Magazine informs. The report, published by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review looked at Repatha and Praluent, both recently approved by the FDA, and “weighed their benefits, including preventing heart attacks and death, against their prices.” Repatha costs $14,100 a year and Praluent costs $14,600, but according to researchers the cost should be $3,615 to $4,811 a year. “The price would actually have to drop even further, to an annual drug cost of $2,177, for the “total costs of these new drugs to come down to a level at which doctors and insurers would not have to try to limit patient use in some way to keep overall health care cost growth within bounds,” the researchers ...
The U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) recently approved a new drug against cholesterol, a condition that affects millions of Latinos, Univision News reports. Praulent (inhibitor PCSK9), is part of a new generation of drugs that according to doctors has the potential to reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes in patients who suffer from high cholesterol. In trials PCSK9, “reduced up to 60 percent of bad cholesterol,” even in patients taking statins, the standard prescription drug. Praulent, has so far been released only to a small pool of patients who suffered a heart attack, serious cardiovascular illnesses or who have hereditary high ...
The American Heart Association (AHA) is urging Hispanic families to discuss heart health, given their struggles with heart disease, VoxxiNews reports. More than one-third of Hispanics have heart diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, hypertension, heart failure, and irregular heartbeat. Hispanics also have elevated risk factors, like obesity and diabetes. Here are seven reasons Latinos should take heart disease seriously, via VoxxiNews: Among Mexican-American adults age 20 and older, 33.4% of men and 30.7% percent of women have cardiovascular disease (CVD).
2.8% of Hispanic adults have had a stroke.
Men, blacks, and Mexican Americans have higher rates of TIA (mini-stroke) than their female and non-Hispanic white counterparts.
Mexican Americans have higher cumulative ...
Hispanics live longer than other population groups, even though they face higher rates of blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, according to the largest-ever study of Latino health. The federal study, called the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), is a multi-city epidemiological study collected information on the health issues, risk factors, and lifestyle habits that impact this population. The study has followed more than 16,000 Hispanic adults from Chicago, San Diego, Miami and the Bronx since 2008. Some of its initial national results include: 80% of Hispanic men and 71% of women had at least one adverse risk factor for heart disease (i.e., high cholesterol/blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or smoking).
The percentage with obesity was high among ...
High incidence of heart disease among Latinas is directly related to a higher risk for metabolic syndrome, according to a study by Dr. Fatima Rodriguez of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Voxxi reports. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of factors—high blood pressure, increased levels of blood sugar, excessive body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels—that lead to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Rodriguez' study, published in Family Practice News, collected information from the health screenings of 18,000 women and complete medical histories for 7,000 women. Her findings, according to the report, include:
Researchers found an overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome for 35 percent of evaluated women; however, Rodriguez states “there was ...
The percentage of obese Mexican-American adults has risen from 21% in 1984 to 35% in 2006 to 40% in 2010, according to new government data, USA Today reports. Mexican-American adults' obesity rates also were higher than the national average of 36%. According to the USA Today report: The percentage of Mexican-American adults with diabetes was 14% in 2006, higher than the most recent national average of about 11%.
About 22% of Mexican-American adults had high blood pressure and 20% had high cholesterol in 2006. These rates have remained stable over the last few decades. The prevalence increases with age.
The average intake of calories for Mexican-American men was 2,521 in 2006; women, 1,827 calories. Those numbers have increased by several hundred calories each since 1984. The ...
