Ethnic Groups And Health Risks

Different ethnic groups are at a high risk of certain diseases and health problems. Therefore, people should be aware of this fact and take appropriate steps and measures to ensure that they do not get those diseases or at least they will be able to reduce the health risks.

Most of us get diseases as there is an interaction between our environment, our behavior and our genes. The diseases that are inherited can be avoided through proactive measures and invariably these measures could mean eating healthily, exercising regularly and staying away from cigarettes and alcohol. In addition, people from different ethnic groups should also go for regular checkup and screenings if they know they are at risk of getting a particular disease.

Ethnic Groups and Health Risks:

According to the US centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are certain diseases that are only found in some ethnic groups. Here is a list of ethnic groups and their health risks.

African Americans:

Are 1.5 more likely to have high blood pressure compared to Caucasians
Have more cases of cardiovascular disease and are 30 percent more likely to die from it compared to Caucasians
Are twice as likely to get strokes
Are 1.8 times more likely to get diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, one in four African American women over 55 years has diabetes.
Men are 50 percent more likely to get prostate cancer and twice as likely to die from it. In addition, African American men develop prostate cancer at a younger age.
Women get breast cancer less frequently compared to Caucasian women but when they do get it, they are more likely to die from it.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African Americans
Sickle cell anemia is highly prevalent among African Americans.

Asians:

Cervical cancer and death rate is highest among Vietnamese American women compared to any other ethnic group.
South Asians have a high rate of coronary artery disease and heart attack often strikes South Asian men at a younger age. Nearly half the men are under the age of 50.
They are more likely to develop stomach and liver cancer compared to Caucasians
Women have high incidence of osteoporosis
90 percent of Asians are have lactose intolerance.

Caucasians:

Women have a high risk of getting breast cancer compared to any other ethnic group
Light skinned Caucasians have higher incidence of skin cancer compared to any other ethnic group
Women have higher incidence of osteoporosis compared to some other ethnic groups.

Hispanics:

Diabetes occurs twice as often in Hispanics compared to Caucasians
Have a higher risk of hypertension
Women tend to get cervical cancer quite often.

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