Chronic Diseases
By: Simi Patel
Chronic Diseases, more commonly known as conditions that last more than one year and require ongoing treatment, are one of the greatest causes of death in the U.S. Some of the most common chronic diseases are cancer, lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Most of these are caused due to tobacco use, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol use, and poor nutrition/diet. While the diseases mentioned above are relatively common and heard of often, osteoporosis isn’t.
Osteoporosis is a disease that thins and gradually weakens the bones. They become so fragile and frail that minor occurrences such as coughing or bending over can cause a fracture. The disease occurs when the creation of new bones can’t keep up with the loss of the old bones, causing there to be a disruption. While the diseases can happen to both men and women, White, Asian, and older women who have passed menstruation face the most risk.
Some common and alarming symptoms are loss of height over a period of time, stooped posture, back pain, and easily bone breakage. Some unchangeable risks are family history of osteoporosis, small body frames, and being of White or Asian descent. People who have low sex hormoes and too many thyroid issues are already at a greater risk of delveoping the disease because of these ongoing medical conditions.
A method of prevention is maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise. While there is no actual cure for osteoporosis, proper treatment can protect and help strengthen the condition of your bones. Your doctor might also even prescribe you calcium and Vitamin D mediations. Overall, the major takeaway is that as you get older, maintaining a well balanced lifestyle can help protect you from developing any chronic disease and keep you in good health!
Cystic Fibrosis
By: Prajna D
When mentioning chronic diseases, cystic fibrosis is well known and fits in the category. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body (Mayo clinic, 2019). The disease causes certain bodily fluids such as mucus, sweat, and digestive juices to be thick and sticky. These fluids are meant to lubricate internal structures, but cystic fibrosis prevents that. Instead the fluids inhibit passageways in the body especially in the lungs and pancreas.
Since the thick mucus can block airways in the lungs, many patients experience breathlessness, coughing up thick mucus, wheezing, lung infections, and inflammation in the nasal passages (Mayo clinic, 2019). In the digestive system, it can cause intestinal blockage, foul-smelling stool, and poor weight gain. Cystic fibrosis can also lead to other complications such as diabetes, infections, coughing up blood, damaged airways, obstructions in the intestines, deficiencies, and more. Fertility can also be affected, but fortunately there are surgeries to help men and women become more fertile.Since cystic fibrosis is a disease affecting large organs in the body, it is important that patients receive daily care to control the symptoms. However, “people with the condition…have a better quality of life than people with cystic fibrosis had in previous decades” (Mayo clinic, 2019, para. 3). According to a study conducted in the United Kingdom, there was “602 deaths in 10,428 individuals” (Keogh., Szczesniak, Taylor-Robinson, & Bilton, 2018, p. 1). It was also concluded that over half of the babies born today can be expected to make it to their fifth decade of life (Keogh, Szczesniak, Taylor-Robinson, & Bilton, 2018). The median survival rates for people diagnosed at birth was forty-six years old in males and forty-one years old in females. However, these rates are expected to increase as there are more advancements in the future.
Work Cited
Chronic Diseases
Debra Stang. (2019, August 19). What Do You Want to Know About Osteoporosis? healthline. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/osteoporosis
Osteoporosis. Mayoclinic. (2021, June 21). Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968
CDC. (2021, April 28). About Chronic Diseases. Center for disease control and prevention. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm
Cystic Fibrosis
Mayo Clinic. (2019, July 9). Cystic fibrosis. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353700.
Keogh, R. H., Szczesniak, R., Taylor-Robinson, D., & Bilton, D. (2018). Up-to-date and projected estimates of survival for people with cystic fibrosis using baseline characteristics: A longitudinal study using UK patient registry data. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 17(2), 218–227. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2017.11.019
Medical Wonders 