Alzheimers Disease - A Humanitarian Crisis

Humanitarianism is a moral of kindness, benevolence, and sympathy extended to all human Christian philanthropy tended to deprecate reform as political. In contrast, the humanitarian movement thought reform essential to remove abuses.

Washington, DC – African Americans are two to three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than white Americans, yet they are less likely to be diagnosed. While Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, it is the fourth leading cause of death for older African Americans. Alzheimer’s is the only disease in the top ten that currently has no cure, treatment, or prevention.

A critical factor in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s is participation in clinical trials, which is the step-by-step process that studies or tests a new procedure, drug, or vaccine for prevention, treatment, screening or improving quality of life. African Americans make up over 13 percent of the population but are only five percent of clinical trials participants. And this number is even lower for older African Americans.

Reply  

Diabetes Is A Lifelong Chronic Disease

Diabetes is a lifelong (chronic) disease in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood.

Gestational diabetes Metabolic syndrome Type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes

Causes, incidence, and risk factors Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar. Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin, or both.

To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process by which food is broken down and used by the body for energy. Several things happen when food is digested: A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body.

An organ called the pancreas makes insulin. The role of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel.

People with diabetes have high blood sugar because their body cannot move sugar into fat, liver, and muscle cells to be stored for energy. This is because either: Their pancreas does not make enough insulin Their cells do not respond to insulin normally Both of the above

There are three major types of diabetes. The causes and risk factors are different for each type:

Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it is most often diagnosed in children, teens, or young adults. In this disease, the body makes little or no insulin. Daily injections of insulin are needed. The exact cause is unknown.

Type 2 diabetes makes up most of diabetes cases. It most often occurs in adulthood, but teens and young adults are now being diagnosed with it because of high obesity rates. Many people with type 2 diabetes do not know they have it.

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes.

Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans. Over 40 million Americans have pre-diabetes (early type 2 diabetes).

Reply