Cerebrovascular Disease Essay

Cerebrovascular Disease Risk Factors By Ethnicity

Cerebrovascular Disease Risk Factors By Ethnicity

A decrease in Hispanic mortality

Vannessa Ingle

University of the Incarnate Word

Introduction

In 2014, the United States Census reports (Bureau, 2015), Hispanics account for more than 17% of the population in the United States. Research would infer that the growing number of the Hispanic ethnicity group the population would mirror similar characteristics in health and mortality than non-Hispanics. In actuality, Hispanics were less likely to perish from cerebrovascular disease as noted in Merrill (2013), the third leading cause of mortality among all ethnic groups, than their counterpart. (Merrill, 2013, Table 5-3, p.129) Cerebrovascular

disease includes multiple disorders that affect the circulation of blood to the brain. There are several controllable risk factors that decrease the chances of cerebrovascular disease in Hispanics such as smoking, high fiber diet, and alcohol than non-Hispanics.
It’s a well-known fact that smoking is unhealthy and has several negative side effects to include an increased risk for cerebrovascular disease.

The toxins in tobacco cause the blood vessels in the brain to narrow, restricting much need oxygen and causes high blood pressure. The INTERSTOKE study (O'Donnell et al., 2010) showed, “current smokers have a twofold increased risk of stroke of all type, and smoking contributed to about 18 % of strokes worldwide.” Hispanics in the United States make up a small portion of this percentage because they are less likely to use tobacco products decreasing their risk for cerebrovascular disease. The statistical fact sheet provided by Heart.org (2015)

states,
In 2008 to 2010, among adults ≥18 years of age, Asian men (15.2%) and Hispanic men (17.3%) were less likely to be current cigarette smokers than non-Hispanic black men (23.7%), non-Hispanic white men (23.9%), and American Indian or Alaska Native men (24.6%). Similarly, Asian women (5.5%) and Hispanic women (9.6%) were less likely to be current smokers than non- Hispanic black women (17.6%), non-Hispanic white women (20.9%), and American Indian or Alaska Native women (20.7%). (Heart.org, 2015, Smoking section, para 2)
Smoking continues to be a serious problem among all ethnic groups; however, Hispanics remain one of the lowest decreasing the onset of cerebrovascular disease.
The essential requirements for a healthy diet are to eat foods mostly derived from plants such as vegetable, fruits, whole grains and legumes. By limiting a diet in high saturated fat, salt and processed foods decreases the deposits of plaque inside the arteries narrowing blood flow to the brain. The Hispanic’s culture dietary staples mostly include, rice, beans, fresh vegetables and animal protein and a very limited amount of processed products. According to Carson, Burke and Hark (2004) Hispanics have many positive dietary aspects that should be encouraged in other ethnicity groups.
Consumption of complex carbohydrates, mostly in the form of beans, rice and grains is high. The type of bean consumed varies by country. For example, black beans are more common in Venezuela, red beans in Puerto Rico, pinto beans in Mexico, and roman beans in the Dominican Republic. Beans are usually eaten with rice, corn (maize), or corn tortillas, foods that are good sources of fiber and high-quality complementary protein. Soups made with beans and lentils or grain such as oat, corn and barely are also common in some countries.
Vegetables such as onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, and green peppers are added to meats and rice. Spinach and squash are used in cream sauces.
Soups prepared with vegetables, chicken or fish are usually eaten with the heaviest meal of the day.
Cheeses is often included in many meals, such as Mexican burritos and Venezuelan or Columbian arepa (which are made with precooked corn flour). However, whole milk cheese should be replaced by part-skim or low-fat cheese. (p. 330)
Targeted dietary intervention similar to the Hispanic’s natural high fiber diet reduced their chances of developing cerebrovascular disease increasing life expectancy.
Introducing toxins into the body such as alcohol causes negative effects within the system. The risk of drinking alcohol increases the chances of hypertension, as well as myocardial infractions. These two factors alone double the chances of developing cerebrovascular disease. Hispanic men and women are less likely to drink alcohol than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. In a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2003) reports that in 2001, 61 percent of adult Hispanic men and 39 percent of Hispanic women reported being current drinkers, compared with 72 percent and 64 percent of white men and women. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003, p. 65) This further proves that Hispanics decrease their chances of cerebrovascular disease by limiting the consumption of alcohol.
Conclusion
This research provided several controllable risk factors that the Hispanic ethnic group implements to decrease the mortality of cerebrovascular disease over non-Hispanics. First, tobacco usage was significantly lower than non-Hispanics decreasing their risk for incident. Eating a mostly plant-derived diet increased fiber intake, decreasing their chances of narrowed arteries. Finally, the limited amount of alcohol compared to non-Hispanics significantly decreases their chances for a cerebrovascular disease. These controllable risk factors are the reason for a significant increase in life expectancy of Hispanics versus non-Hispanics.

References
Bureau, U.

(2015). Hispanic or Latino Origin. Quickfacts.census.gov. Retrieved 18 September 2015, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_RHI725214.htm

Carson, J., Burke, F., & Hark, L. (2004). Cardiovascular nutrition. Chicago, Ill.: American Dietetic Association.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,. (2003). Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans (p. 65). Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics.

Heart.org,. (2015). Hispanics/Latinos & Cardiovascular Diseases. Retrieved 18 September 2015, from http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319572.pdf

Klatsky, A., Armstrong, M., & Friedman, G. (1989). Alcohol use and subsequent cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations. Stroke, 20(6), 741-746. http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/01.str.20.6.741

Merrill, R. (2013). Introduction to epidemiology. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

O'Donnell, M., Xavier, D., Liu, L., Zhang, H., Chin, S., & Rao-Melacini, P. et al. (2010). Risk factors for ischaemic and intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke in 22 countries (the INTERSTROKE study): a case-control study. The Lancet, 376(9735), 112-123.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60834-3