response one and two-dic-04

Response one-Discussion-04

4-2 Discussion: Person, Place and Time Descriptive Analysis

Describing disease patterns accurately and carefully is of great importance to epidemiologists in order to discover etiologic clues. Descriptive epidemiology describes disease patterns by using characteristics of person, place and time. These descriptive characteristics are carefully considered when a disease outbreak occurs, because they provide important clues regarding the source of the outbreak. When considering the characteristics of person, place, and time and looking for differences, similarities, and correlations hypotheses about the determinants of disease arise. Descriptive studies in epidemiology generate hypotheses and answer what, who, where, and when (Friis & Sellers, 2014).

Figure 1. Heart Disease Mortality by State: 2017. Taken from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019-01-09). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/heart_disease_mortality/heart_disease.htm.

The above graph provides characteristics of place regarding Heart Disease and can provide important clues about trends in morbidity and mortality of disease. It is also important for epidemiologists to look at the characteristics of time as it can show variations in the pattern of disease associated with time and provides important insights into the pathogenesis of disease (Friis & Sellers, 2014). One example of a characteristic of time is to look at secular time trends. In the United States, between 2000 and 2010, the age-adjusted death rates attributable to heart disease declined by 29% (Roger, 2015). This decline could reflect the long-term impact of public health programs and diet improvements (Friis & Sellers, 2014).

 There are many factors that increase a person’s risk for heart disease such as smoking, eating an unhealthy diet, and not getting enough physical activity. There are also risk factors that cannot be controlled which include ethnicity, family history, sex and age. The results of the 2016 study by the CDC show many factors that place persons at a greater risk for heart disease that they cannot control. For example, men are at a greater risk for heart disease than women and age can also increase a person’s risk. In order to prevent heart disease, it is important to lower your chance of developing it by decreasing the factors that you can control.

References

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2014). Epidemiology for Public Health Practice (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Heron, M. (2018). Deaths: Leading Causes for 2016. National Vital Statistics Report, 67(6), 77. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_06.pdf

Roger, V. L. (2015). Cardiovascular diseases in populations: secular trends and contemporary challenges—Geoffrey Rose lecture, European Society of Cardiology meeting 2014. European Heart Journal, 36(32), 2142–2146. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehv220

Response two discussions -04

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Unites States.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, also leading cause of death worldwide.  Moe than of  the death that occur as a result of heart disease are in men.  An age-adjusted death rate, which accounts for the aging population, of 823.7 deaths per 100,000 in the United States standard population. A life expectancy at birth of around 78.8.  Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States accounting for almost in every 4 deaths and affecting significantly more women.  Death rates below are calculated on an annual basis per 100,000 of estimated population. Age adjusted rates are used to compare relative mortality risks among group and over time.  Heart disease is a term use to describe several conditions; may of which are related to plaque buildup in the wall of he arteries.  As the were build up the arteries narrow, this makes it more difficult for blood to flow and creates a risk of heart disease or stroke.

Other types of heart problem include angina, arrhythmia, and heart failure.  Key to preventing death from heart disease is to protect the heart and know the warning signs and symptoms  of heart attack.  Major warning sign, some sign and symptom an materialize before a heart attack: chest pain or discomfort, pain or discomfort in the upper body , arms, neck, jaw or upper stomach, breathless, nausea light headed, and cold sweats. Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol can significantly lower heart disease risk. Several lifestyle and dietary modification can dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease including: 

- following instruction to ensure safe use medication and any OTC drugs

-eating a diet, that is low in salt, refined sugar, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and high in fresh fruit, and veggies

-exercise regularly least 50 minutes a week 

-quit smoking

- take steps to reduce stress or get help with stress management