Risk factors in health and disease

Transcription

1 Risk factrs in health and disease Index 1 Intrductin 2 Types f risk factrs 2.1 Behaviural risk factrs 2.2 Psychlgical risk factrs 2.3 Demgraphic risk factrs 2.4 Envirnmental risk factrs 2.5 Genetic risk factrs 3 Glbal risks fr mrtality and demgraphic factrs 3.1 Incme 3.2 Age 3.3 Gender 4 Reducing expsure t risk factrs 5 References 6 Attachments Intrductin Health and wellbeing are affected by many factrs thse linked t pr health, disability, disease r death, are knwn as risk factrs. A risk factr is a characteristic, cnditin, r behaviur that increases the likelihd f getting a disease r injury. Risk factrs are ften presented individually, hwever in practice they d nt ccur alne. They ften cexist and interact with ne anther. Fr example, physical inactivity will, ver time, cause weight gain, high bld pressure and high chlesterl levels. Tgether, these significantly increase the chance f develping chrnic heart diseases and ther health related prblems. Ageing ppulatins and lnger life expectancy have led t an increase in lng-term (chrnic), expensive-t-treat diseases and disabilities. There is a rising demand fr healthcare, placing the sectr under increasing budget pressure which is nt always met. It is imprtant that we, as a sciety and users f healthcare systems, understand the causes and risk factrs behind diseases, s that we can actively take part in available cst effective preventin and treatment prgrammes. In general, risk factrs can be categrised int the fllwing grups:

2 Behaviural Physilgical Demgraphic Envirnmental Genetic These are described in mre detail belw. Types f risk factrs Behaviural risk factrs Behaviural risk factrs usually relate t actins that the individual has chsen t take. They can therefre be eliminated r reduced thrugh lifestyle r behaviural chices. Examples include: smking tbacc drinking t much alchl nutritinal chices physical inactivity spending t much time in the sun withut prper prtectin nt having certain vaccinatins unprtected sex. Psychlgical risk factrs Physilgical risk factrs are thse relating t an individual s bdy r bilgy. They may be influenced by a cmbinatin f genetic, lifestyle and ther brad factrs. Examples include: being verweight r bese high bld pressure high bld chlesterl high bld sugar (glucse). Demgraphic risk factrs

3 Demgraphic risk factrs are thse that relate t the verall ppulatin. Examples include: age gender ppulatin subgrups, such as ccupatin, religin, r incme. Envirnmental risk factrs Envirnmental risk factrs cver a wide range f tpics such as scial, ecnmic, cultural and plitical factrs as well as physical, chemical and bilgical factrs. Examples include: access t clean water and sanitatin risks in the wrkplace air pllutin scial settings. Genetic risk factrs Genetic risk factrs are based n an individual s genes. Sme diseases, such as cystic fibrsis and muscular dystrphy, cme entirely frm an individual s genetic make-up. Many ther diseases, such as asthma r diabetes, reflect the interactin between the genes f the individual and envirnmental factrs. Other diseases, like sickle cell anaemia, are mre prevalent in certain ppulatin subgrups. Glbal risks fr mrtality and demgraphic factrs The number f ttal glbal deaths fr any cause in 2004 was 59 millin peple. The table belw shws the ten mst cmmn risk factrs that caused a large prtin f ttal glbal deaths in 2004 accrding t the Wrld Health Organisatin (WHO). The tp six leading risk factrs are all linked t ptential develpment f lng-term diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancers. Table: WHO numbers f the 10 leading glbal risks fr mrtality (death), 2004

4 Rank Risk factr % f ttal deaths 1 High bld pressure Tbacc use High bld glucse Physical inactivity Overweight and besity High chlesterl Unprtected sex Alchl use Childhd underweight Indr smke frm slid fuels 3.0

5 The ranking seen in the table abve differs if incme and ther demgraphic factrs are cnsidered. Incme Fr high and middle-incme cuntries, the mst imprtant risk factrs are thse related t lng-term diseases, whereas in lw-incme cuntries, factrs such as childhd malnutritin and unprtected sex are much mre widespread. Age Risk factrs als change with age. Sme risk factrs almst exclusively affect children such as malnutritin and indr smke frm slid fuels. Fr adults, there are cnsiderable differences depending n age: Unprtected sex and addictive substances (e.g. tbacc and alchl) accunt fr mst f the health prblems in yunger adults Risk factrs fr lng-term diseases and cancers mainly affect lder adults. Gender Gender differences als exist. Fr example, men are much mre likely t be at risk f factrs assciated with addictive substances. Wmen are prne t suffer frm irn deficiency during pregnancy. Reducing expsure t risk factrs Reducing cntact (expsure) t risk factrs wuld greatly imprve glbal health and life expectancy by many years. This wuld therefre reduce healthcare csts. See als the SCORE Prject fact sheet as an example f hw risk factrs wuld greatly influence health and life expectancy. References 1. Wrld Health Organisatin (2009). Glbal health risks: Mrtality and burden f disease attributable t selected majr risks. Geneva: Wrld Health Organizatin. Available frm:

6 2. Australian Institute f Health and Welfare (2015). Risk factrs t health. Retrieved June 23, 2015, frm