Lecture 5: Leading Causes of Mortality, 14-45 and 45-60 Years

Question 1

What is the burden of cancer?

Answer 1

2nd leading cause of death in US many people will develop cancer at some point in their lives

Question 2

What is the link between cancer and infectious disease?

Answer 2

• Worldwide 15-20% of cancers are linked to infectious diseases
• These cancers can be avoided by preventing the infection associated with them

Question 3

What is the burden of self-inflicted injuries?

Answer 3

480,000 people ages 14-45 take their own lives

• Unipolar depressive disorder ranks #1 for DALYs in this age group
• Global suicide rates have increased 60% in the last 45 years

Question 4

What are the risk factors associated with suicide?

Answer 4

• Psychiatric illness
– Affective, substance abuse, personality, other mental disorders
• Other risk factors
– Social adjustment problems
– Serious medical illness
– Livingalone
– Recent bereavement
– Personal history of suicide attempt or completion
– Divorceorseparation
– Unemployment

Question 5

What are some of the methods of suicide?

Answer 5

• Firearms
• Men: Hanging
• Women: Drug overdose or poison
• Alcohol involvement common, women attempt > men. men succeed > women

Question 6

What methods are used for screening and preventing suicide?

Answer 6

Visit physician

• Hard to identify who is at risk
– Direct questioning has low yield
– General questions about sleep disturbance, depressed mood, guilt and hopelessness

• Sleep
• Interest
• Guilt
• Energy
• Concentration
• Appetite
• Psychomotor
• Suicidal

Question 7

What is the goal of screening for self-inflicted injuries?

Answer 7

• Catch as many positives as possible, even at the risk of some false positives
- asked series of questions, however sensitivity for questionnaires is low

Question 8

Is a blood test possible for suicide?

Answer 8

Study found biomarkers for increased suicidal thoughts

Question 9

What are the leading causes of mortality in the developing world for ages 45+?

Answer 9

1. Cardiovascular diseases
2. Cancer (malignant neoplasms)
3. Unintentional injuries
4. HIV/AIDS

Question 10

What are the leading causes of mortality in the developed world for ages 45+?

Answer 10

1. Cardiovascular diseases
2. Cancer (malignant neoplasms)
3. Unintentional injuries
4. Digestive Diseases

Question 11

What is the burden of digestive diseases?

Answer 11

• Worldwide 456,000 people aged 45-59 die each year from digestive diseases
• Cirrhosis of the liver
– Kills 250,000 people each year between the ages of 45 and 59

Question 12

What is the function of the liver?

Answer 12

• Largest organ in the body
– Metabolizes fat and glucose
– Helps remove toxic substances from blood
– Produces
• Bile to help absorb fats
• Proteins that regulate blood clotting
• Immune agents

(Loss of liver function –> severe disease and death)

Question 13

What is Cirrhosis? What are its symptoms?

Answer 13

Normal liver is replaced with scar tissue

interfering with function

Question 14

What causes Cirrhosis?

Answer 14

One of the causes is viral hepatitis.

the virus causes chronic hepatitis which may lead to cirrhosis in some patients

Question 15

What are the symptoms of Cirrhosis?

Answer 15

Symptoms of cirrhosis
– Exhaustion, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting blood, weakness, weight loss, and abdominal pain
– Patients bruise and bleed easily and become highly sensitive to medicines with increasing loss of liver functions