The most common causes of death among women
According to the statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main cause of mortality among women is heart disease, with a percentage of 21.8%. In second place, at a short distance, is cancer, with a percentage of 20.7%.
Other common causes of mortality among women are represented by lower respiratory infections (6.2%), stroke (6.2%), Alzheimer’s (6.1%), accidents (4.4%), diabetes (2.7%), influenza and pneumonia (2.1 %), kidney disease (1.8%) and septicemia (1.6%).
This statistic provides important clues about how every woman should monitor her health. In the following lines you can discover which are the most common diseases that affect women.
1. Cardiac diseases
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men. Unfortunately, they affect women starting at the age of 60 – 10 years less than life expectancy for Romania – and often go undiagnosed, to the point where treatment becomes useless and impossible due to the severity of the disease at the time of discovery.
Smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and diabetes are the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Changing your lifestyle is the most important thing you can do for your heart health.
2. Breast cancer
When we talk about cancer de san, we are talking about the most common form of cancer among women. Specialists say that the fear of breast cancer is often so exacerbated that women refuse to go for regular check-ups for fear of learning bad news.
There are many treatment options for breast cancer, especially when it is diagnosed in one of its early stages. Among the most important risk factors for breast cancer are:
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Age;
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Genetic baggage: 5 – 10% of cases are determined by mutations of some genes, most often BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes;
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Family history of breast cancer;
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Personal history of breast cancer;
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Race: Caucasian women have a slightly increased risk;
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Medical history of irradiation in the chest area;
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Premature onset of menstruation (before 12 years) and late menopause (after 55 years);
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Absence of children;
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Some medicines, for example diethylstilbestrol;
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Excess alcohol;
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Obesity.
3. Osteoporosis
Stooping back, back pain, bone fragility – all these were normal for women, before the discovery of osteoporosis and possible remedies against it. Habits and lifestyle in the first 30 years greatly influence the subsequent occurrence of the disease.
It’s never too late to take care of your bones, so it’s recommended to see your doctor regularly. Bone pain and bone fragility can be prevented by taking regular supplements of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus, depending on your doctor’s observations and test results.
4. Depression
Depression affects women more often than men – international statistics show that the number of women diagnosed with depression is almost double that of men.
Women’s need to create a social network and the strong hormonal changes that pregnancy, childbirth and menopause entail are important risk factors.
The best way to prevent depression is to find a reason to get up in the morning and make sure that motivation doesn’t disappear. It can be sports, a hobby, looking after grandchildren, a pet or volunteer work – the important thing is to be an active person.
5. Autoimmune diseases
There are more than 80 autoimmune diseases already diagnosed, and there are probably still some that are so rare that they go unnoticed, and statistics show that more than 75% of them occur in women. Although it still requires a lot of study, autoimmune diseases can be prevented – to a point – by a healthy lifestyle.
Conditions that occur with increased frequency in women expose them to significant risks related to decreased quality of life and premature mortality. Take care of yourself!
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