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The Top 5 Leading Causes of Disease for Females Over 60
| Causes of Disease | Women Over 60 Afflicted | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ischaemic Heart Disease | 15,232,878 |
| 2 | Cerebrovascular Disease | 12,883,561 |
| 3 | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases | 8,107,600 |
| 4 | Cirrhosis of the Liver | 6,284,704 |
| 5 | Alzheimer's and Other Dementias | 5,348,429 |
Special Report
- Heart disease and stroke are already leading causes of death in women in developed countries and will be the leading cause of death in women in poor countries by 2020. The female death rate from heart disease is almost eighteen times higher than from breast cancer and six times more than HIV/AIDS related deaths. In developing countries, half of all deaths of women over 50 are due to heart disease and stroke.
- Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is damage to the blood vessels in the brain, resulting in a stroke. Blood vessels can become blocked because of fat deposits, or a wandering blood clot, which can block the flow of blood to a part of the brain. Sometimes, the blood vessels may leak, break, or burst, resulting in a hemorrhagic stroke. CVD is the most disabling of all neurological diseases. Approximately 50% of survivors have a residual neurological deficit and greater than 25% require chronic care. An estimated 17 million people die of CVDs, particularly heart attacks and strokes, every year. A substantial number of these deaths can be attributed to tobacco smoking, which increases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease 2–3 fold. People with diabetes are also at higher risk of cerebrovascular disease.
- The main risk factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is smoking. Approximately 15% of all chronic smokers will develop the disease. COPD can also be caused by prolonged exposure to certain dusty, smoke filled environments and for women in developing countries exposure is particularly high because of cooking and heating with solid fuels such as dung, wood, crop waste or coal which leads to indoor air pollution. Women exposed to indoor smoke are three times as likely to suffer from COPD, such as chronic bronchitis, than women who cook and heat with electricity, gas and other cleaner fuels.
- More than half of the world's population rely on dung, wood, crop waste or coal to meet their most basic energy needs. Cooking and heating with such solid fuels on open fires or stoves without chimneys leads to indoor air pollution and exposure is particularly high among women and children, who spend the most time near the domestic hearth. Every year, indoor air pollution leads to Lower Respiratory Infections such as pneumonia and are responsible for the death of one person every 20 seconds. Lower Respiratory Infections are also often associated with AIDS.
- According to an analysis published in a January issue of "The Lancet" the prevalence of hypertension at younger ages is higher in men than in women in general, however among older people over 60 years, it is higher in women. Based on estimates for 2000, the analysis calculated that by 2025 there will be a 13% increase of hypertension in women. Most of this increase will occur in economically developing regions.
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Health Statistics
Sources: WHO report: Injury, a Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease 2000.
List Notes: All Statistics are for the year 2000. This WHO study combines mortality and health data from national vital registration systems with information obtained from surveys, censuses,epidemiological studies and health service data.
Sources: WHO report: Injury, a Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease 2000.
List Notes: All Statistics are for the year 2000. This WHO study combines mortality and health data from national vital registration systems with information obtained from surveys, censuses,epidemiological studies and health service data.
