A chronic disease is a long-term health condition that is not easily cured. These diseases can majorly impact a person’s quality of life and even be life-threatening. Some chronic diseases to watch out for regarding urgent care include heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis.
Causes
Per the Center for Disease Control (CDC), these long-term ailments can be caused by a short list of triggers and unhealthy habits:
- Use of tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Poor nutrition, particularly diets with low vegetable and fruit content but high sodium and saturated fats.
- Lack of exercise.
- Excessive alcohol consumption.
Major Chronic Diseases
In the U.S., some major chronic diseases medical professionals and families must watch out for in preparation for urgent care include heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure combined with high cholesterol, cancer, smoking, diabetes, and prediabetes.
- Heart disease and stroke: Nearly 700,000 Americans yearly die from heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases, which is why the CDC supports various programs that help Americans lower their blood pressure, prevent heart disease and stroke risk, and reduce health disparities. In turn, these have helped lower heart disease and stroke death rates.
- High blood pressure with high cholesterol: High blood pressure is a major problem because it increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. When damaged, they are more likely to develop plaque, narrowing the arteries and decreasing blood flow to the heart and brain.
Almost 94 million Americans have high blood pressure, and only a small percentage have it under control. Most people with a heart attack or stroke also have high blood pressure, while around 7 percent of children also have high cholesterol, making this a concerning topic for urgent care!
- Cancer: In the U.S. alone, cancer is the second leading cause of death, with 602,350 in 2020! Many cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, excess ultraviolet (UV) radiation from natural or artificial methods, or being overweight.
The CDC promotes and protects public health by providing leadership and direction for disease control and prevention, improving cancer survivors’ health, and helping ensure that all afflicted have an equal opportunity to reach the best health possible.
To accomplish these goals, the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion created several divisions to reduce the risk factors for preventable cancers, promote cancer screenings to catch the disease early, and collect data on all cancer cases that are required to be reported in the United States.
- Smoking: While it remains America’s leading cause of preventable death, many people still smoke cigarettes, which causes cancer in many parts of the body, including the lungs, throat, and stomach. It also increases the risk of contracting a blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. Daily, dozens of young people under 18 try smoking for the first time.
- Diabetes and prediabetes: Diabetes is a serious illness that leads to other health complications like heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation. People with diabetes spend more on healthcare and miss more work days than those without.
Get Urgent Care in Corpus Christi, TX, from Lone Star
Know a loved one suffering from one of these chronic illnesses and needs an improved quality of life? Contact Lone Star Urgent Care today! We provide urgent care in Corpus Christi, TX, where patients feel heard, cared for, and valued. Check in online through our website today!
