Impacts of heart diseases on Canadian society
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term used in describing the diseases of heart and blood vessels (circulatory system). Some of these diseases are heart failures, stroke, ischemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease.
Cardiovascular Disease | Public Health Ontario
Employment
A heart attack affects more than your health | CBC Radio
What led to this loss was loss of employment because there was a drop of 5% on employment for people who suffered a heart attack, 13% for cardiac arrest and 20% drop for stroke.
Huge loss of income ranging from 8% to 31% in 2012 of a population of 40 years to 61 years when compared to the healthy people of the same age.
All heart attacks and a quarter of strokes happen to people in their mid-life career.
Individual
Reference
Report summary Tracking heart disease and stroke in Canada 2009 - ProQuest
Alcohol abuse
gender
Ref.
Gender differences in coronary heart disease (nih.gov)
women
menopause increase the chances of heart disease in women
7 times as many women die from heart disease as cancer
The risk of heart disease in women is mostly underestimated because of the misrepresentation that women are protected against CVD
A major cause of death in women
CVD develops 7 to 10 years later in women compared to men
men
Men are 2 times more likely to suffer a heart attack than women.
Ref.
Heart Disease in Canada - Canada.ca
Men general develop CVD at a younger age and have high propensity of developing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).
Ref.
Sex differences in coronary heart disease and stroke mortality: a global assessment of the effect of ageing between 1980 and 2010 | BMJ Global Health
lack or reduced physical activities
49.5% of Canadians did not follow the recommended guidelines for physical activities foe at lest 30 minutes per day
poor diet
Over half of the population of 12 years and above (56.2%) reported consuming less than five serving of vegetables and fruits with the highest proportion in 33 and 44 year age group. 27.7% ate a high fat diet
diabeties
This is a significant factor influencing CVD. 7.1% of adult with the highest proportion in this condition fall between 75 and 84 years
over weight
More than half of the Canadian population between 18 and above weighed in the over-weight or obesity range
Smoking
Almost one in six Canadians aged 15 and above smoked every day
Economy
Ref.
heartandstroke-reportonhealth-2016.ashx
Cardiovascular Disease - Economic Burden of Illness - Canada.ca
Indirect cost of $1.9 billion
Direct cost of 2.8 billion dollars per year.
This is the second leading cause of death in the country.
Media
Social media have become an integral component of modern life for many and therefore, patients use these channels to access information regarding their disease. Worldwide, 4 billion individuals use the internet (53% of the population) and 3.2 billion individuals (42% of the population) are active social media users.
Ref.
www.academic.oup.com
It is free and therefore, affordable. As such, it provide an opportunity for resource-poor societies and individuals to readily access information.
Social media have become widely used and a lot of people go there to get information regarding their disease.
Subtopic
family
This really affects the health of the patient and in most cases the role as well. They cannot function maximally and which in turn limits their relationship with their loved ones in a way. Some parents cannot even play with their children the way they would love to. Some spouses cannot travel and enjoy that which had been planned before the whole medical condition started. Some are loosing their jobs and have reduced income as a result. With all these factors in place, it is difficult to maintain the same energy and quality of life.
Ref.
Family History | University of Ottawa Heart Institute | Prevention & Wellness Centre
Heart attack - How it affects family life (healthtalk.org)
heartandstroke-reportonhealth-2016.ashx
Around 30 per cent of heart failure
patients experience depression with
wide ranging symptoms including
feeling sad, sleeping too much or not
enough, not eating enough and losing
interest in activities they used to enjoy
Emotional stress. this could affect the patient and the caregivers. If the primary caregiver is a family member, it might take a toll on them too such as constantly burning out, depression, and loss of life balance( cannot do what they want to do and when they want to do it). This is because, their life now revolves around giving help and support to the affected family member. Everyone is overwhelmed.
The history of Cardiovascular Disease in the family is a strong indication of ones personal risks.
Social and economic life of the family are greatly affected. Socioeconomic status does not only entail affordability and accessibility, but also the affordability and utilizing the available health care facilities.
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common of birth defects with a record of 8 to 10 cases per 1000 live births.
Health care system
Report summary Tracking heart disease and stroke in Canada 2009 - ProQuest
Increased burden on healthcare system
It is a leading cause of hospitalization with
60,000 reported in 2013–2014 according to CIHI data.
34.6 million visits to the community physicians (10.3% of total visits)
They had 65.7 million prescriptions for treatment
In 2005/06, CHD was the most common diagnosis for hospitalization account for 16.9% of all hospitalizations.
Ref.
heartandstroke-reportonhealth-2016.ashx
Report summary Tracking heart disease and stroke in Canada 2009 - ProQuest
