Part and parcel of life, amongst a myriad of other highs and lows, is the possibility of, at some point in your life and if you are particularly unfortunate, more than once, contracting a disease, whether that be a skin disease such as psoriasis or eczema which is rarely life-threatening, or more serious diseases like a type of cancer.
As of March 2023, the United States has a population of approximately three hundred and thirty-six and a half million people, and even though it is a scientific fact, through DNA if nothing else, that every single one is entirely unique, when it comes to disease, there are certainly ones that are far more common than others.
So, whether you have a vested and professional medical interest in the field or else are just keen to learn more, then either way, continue reading to learn of the six most common diseases in the US and the primary causes and treatment plans for each of them.
1. Heart Disease
The first and most common disease that afflicts hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country is heart disease.
Heart disease, often referred to as coronary heart disease or alternatively, coronary artery disease, is basically caused by the consistent build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries. The principal signs and symptoms in a person with suspected heart disease include:
- A shortness of breath and difficulty in taking a big and long breath
- Pain experienced in the limbs or indeed anywhere in the body with no logical cause
- A feeling of dizziness, feeling light-headed, or that you are going to actually faint
- Angina or intermittent chest pain
- Feeling as though you are going to vomit
When a doctor suspects that a patient by have heart disease, they will first conduct a thorough risk assessment, followed by a blood test to try and determine whether they have it and, if so, how severe it is.
Other ways to detect heart disease in a patient include an MRI scan, a test on a treadmill, and a CT scan.
2. Stroke
Adults across the United States put themselves at risk of experiencing a stroke if they do not take steps to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
Stroke is an incredibly serious medical condition that is often threatening to life itself and is essentially when a problem in the body causes the constant and steady bloody supply to the brain to be stopped. Any person experiencing or having just experienced a stroke should be taken to the nearest hospital immediately, and if you are with someone who is having a stroke, never hesitate to call 911.
There are two fundamental causes of stroke, the first being when a blood vessel that has been weakened over time suddenly bursts in the brain (known as the hemorrhagic cause) and when a blood clot stops the blood supply (known as the ischemic cause).
3. Diabetes
One illness that contributes to the top list of most common diseases in the United States, as of a 2022 study, is diabetes.
The two types of diabetes are type 1, which is where the human body starts to attack and eliminate the cells that produce valuable insulin, and type 2, which is either where the cells in the body never react to the produced insulin or else not enough can be made.
As with the other illnesses discussed within this article, if you even have the slightest suspicion that you may be showing signs of having diabetes, it is absolutely essential that you make an appointment to see your medical doctor as soon as possible.
Common symptoms of diabetes include a need to drink constantly and the sensation of never being able to quench your thirst, blurry vision, feeling fatigued and tired, urinating more often, unexpected weight loss, and contracting thrush on a regular or semi-regular basis.
4. Alzheimer’s Disease
One of the most heartbreaking things to watch is a close friend or family member’s cognitive decline due to the development of a memory-based illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The most common reason why people develop dementia, both in the United States and in the United Kingdom, Alzheimer’s disease is as yet hard to identify when it comes to the initial cause, although influential factors have been discovered. Factors include any genetic predisposition and genetic history of the disease, depression that has gone untreated for many years, cardiovascular disease, smoking, and older age.
5. Cancer
The fight against cancer and eventually finding a cure is one that is felt most passionately by most people across not only the United States but throughout the world, as the vast majority of people know at least one friend or family member who has been affected by the disease.
Scientific researchers, academics, and medical professionals are all united against cancer in all its different forms and spend a great deal of money, time, and resources into utilizing treatments such as patient-derived xenografts and PDX services to understand, treat and hopefully eradicate the disease.
As you will hopefully already be fully aware, the sooner an individual goes to see their medical doctor, and the cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of survival and making a complete and unhindered recovery.
6. Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
Chronic lower respiratory disease or COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the final disease discussed within this article and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of American citizens each year.
The two most well-known examples of COPD include chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the former being prolonged inflammation of the airways in the lungs and the latter relating to damaged air sacs.
The primary signs and symptoms of chronic lower respiratory disease of COPD include the fact an individual seems to repeatedly catch infections in their chest, a wheezing sound when they inhale either some or all of the time, a chesty cough that produces phlegm, and a general breathlessness.
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