Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a condition that limits airflow to the lungs and is not fully reversible with the use of medication.
Among Australians with lung disease, COPD contributes to one-third of the overall health burden and two almost one-third of deaths.
What's the risk?
- Tobacco use in exposure is the single main cause of COPD (74.6%) followed by occupational exposure (2.9%) and air pollution (0.3%)
- Mainly middle-aged and older people are affected by COPD.
- The number of people with COPD increases with age, increasing from 1-13, in those 40 years and over to almost 1-3 in those aged 75 years and over.
The cost of COPD
A person with COPD will carry 45.6% of the financial costs and an additional 1.6% is carried by their families and Friends – Lung foundation Australia 2008.
78% of people living with advanced COPD experience economic hardship from managing their illness and 27% were unable to pay for their medical expenses – Rising epidemic of COPD in women, women's health in Primary Care 1992.
Stroke
A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, this can happen because of blockages or bursts in the arteries.
Likelihood of stroke:
- 1-6 chance from age 55 to 75 years for men.
- 1-5 chance from age 55 to 75 years for women
What's the risk? the likelihood that a person will have a stroke is influenced by a number of risk factors.
The more risk factors a person has, The higher the risks.
- High blood pressure – this is the most important risk factor for a stroke
- High cholesterol – 6.1 million Australians have high cholesterol.
- Irregular heartbeat – there are approximately 434,000 Australians with an irregular heartbeat.
- Smoking and alcohol.
- Diabetes
- Obesity
Box in 2014 there were an estimated 96 strokes per day – Australian Institute of Health & Welfare May 2018 .
The general treatment for stroke is divided into three direct stages.
Stage 1 – Hospital hospitalisation – 10 to 14 days time required.
Stage 2 - Ongoing treatment in a ward – 14 days to 6 months time required.
Stage 3 – Discharge – stay in rehabilitation centre may be required depending upon the severity and personal progress
Once cleared to return home, often the person affected by stroke will require a carer on 24-hour Duty until the reality of coping has sunk in.
The impact on carers
- 58% of primary cases of people with stroke and disability spend 40 hours or more per week in their caring role.
- 21% report a decrease in their personal income due to their caring role.
- 24% incure extra expenses due to their caring role.
- 31% have difficulty meeting everyday costs.
Coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a result of narrowing arteries and reduced blood flow to the heart: this usually starts as angina, (pain and discomfort in the heart) and can lead to a heart attack overtime.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia; in 2016 heart disease was responsible for 1 death every 30 minutes.
The facts
- The risk of heart disease increases with age.
- Men are at higher risk of heart disease than women.
- Smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack compared with those who have never smoked.
- Being inactive increases the chance of heart disease.
- Carrying excess body fat is a risk factor for heart disease.
- People with diabetes have a higher likelihood of having heart disease.
- Having high blood pressure increases the risk of having a heart attack.
- Lower LDL cholesterol levels can decrease the risk of having a heart attack.
The cost of CHD
The majority of specialist charge in excess of the medication schedule benefit fee, increasing the out-of-pocket burden for individuals.
Uterine cancer
There are two types of uterine cancer: endometrial cancer, which affects the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) and the uterine sarcomas, which develops in the muscle tissue.
- Uterine cancer is the most diagnosed gynecological cancer in Australia.
- Endometrial cancer is more common than uterine sarcomas and accounts for approximately 75% of uterine cancer cases.
In 2018 the estimated number of new cases
- 8 new cases diagnosed every day, and
- the estimated number of deaths was 9 each week
- The likelihood of uterine cancer is 1-41 chance by age 85 years
- The average lifetime cost to care was $46,000.
