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D.A:
DIABETES
AUSTRALIA,
DYING
AUSTRALIA,
OR DEBT
AUSTRALIA.
Diabetes and its
complications are one of
the biggest threats to the
health and wellbeing of all
Australians. However it
does not only pose a threat
to the health of the carriers
of the disease, it also poses
a threat to the medical
budget and furthermore the
budget in general. With a
substantial amount of the
budget being subtracted for
Diabetes, it takes away
money that could be better
spent on needed
commodities. However with
numerous organizations
working to resolve the
many problems arousing
about diabetes, there is
certainly a bright side to
the matter.
WHAT IS DIABETES
Diabetes is a chronic
condition which means it
lasts for long time. There
are two types of Diabetes,
type 1 and type 2, both are
incurable and will often be
there for someone's whole
life. For our bodies to work
properly we need to
convert glucose (sugar)
from food into energy. A
hormone called insulin is
essential in the conversion
of glucose into energy.
What diabetes means is
Insulin is no longer
produced or the body does
not create enough in order
to sustain the required
levels. Instead of the
glucose being converted
into energy, it remains in
the blood as glucose; this is
what makes the condition
dangerous for the patient
or carrier of the disease.
Diabetes can affect many
people and is a common
problem amongst middle
aged and elderly people.
However in recent years
Diabetes has started to
appear in childhood and
adolescence and the
numbers are increasing.
According to the Australian
institute of health and
welfare 4% of Australians
have diabetes that's around
999,000 people who have
the disease.
With 1 in 20 pregnancies
being affected by Diabetes
the disease is expanding
into all age groups, young
and old; hence putting
more people at risk of
death and other diseases
such as cardiovascular
disease and pancreatic
cancer. Right: 1 in 20
pregnancies ABOVE: 4% of
Australians are affected by
Diabetes.
TYPE 1 DIABETES
Type 1 diabetes is, the less
common form of diabetes,
in type 1 diabetes the cells
in the pancreas that
produce insulin are
destroyed by the body’s
own immune system. Why
this happens is uncertain
and researchers from the
diabetes council and
Diabetes Australia are
working on developing a
cure for the Disease.
However, for the time
being injections of insulin
and managing a healthy
lifestyle is the only
treatment available.
Without insulin the body
burns its own fats instead of
the fat that needs to be
burnt, unless treated with
daily injections of insulin,
people with type 1 diabetes
accumulate dangerous
chemical substances in their
blood from the burning of
fat. This could potentially
lead to a life threatening
disease called ketoacidosis.
TYPE 2 DIABETES
Type 2 Diabetes, also
known as the lifestyle
disease is the most
common form of diabetes
affecting 85 to 90 per cent
of all people who have the
disease. Even though the
disease is common amongst
middle aged people most
commonly people over 45,
it is recently increasing in
younger years as well. Type
2 Diabetes tends to run in
families and is often
triggered by being inactive
or carrying excess weight
around. In type 2 Diabetes
it is not uncommon to have
high cholesterol and high
blood pressure as well, this
could lead to other
potentially life threatening
diseases and has the
potential to lower the life
expectancy of a carrier of
Diabetes. However, unlike
type 1 diabetes the body is
still able to make its own
insulin, thus eliminating
some of the problems that
type 1 diabetes arouses.
However in some cases the
body of a type 2 Diabetic
may not create sufficient
amounts of insulin, thus
opening a vast array of
implications. The cells in
your body are resistant to
the action of insulin,
although it is being
produced, it cannot work
effectively, this is called
“insulin resistance” one of
the many side effects of
type 2 Diabetes.
BUDGET
Diabetes is an increasingly
expensive disease because
so many people have it.
Because of this a substantial
amount of the budget has
to be allocated to it. The
money is distributed
amongst medicine,
research, equipment, and
hospital patients. According
to the AIHW an estimated
$1,507 million was spent on
treating diabetes in 2008–
09, that's 2.3% of all health
expenditure being spent on
Diabetes. And to top that
another 8.2 pharmaceutical
scripts where claimed for
diabetes medicines in 2012,
thus further extending
costs, the number of scripts
claimed per year has also
been increasing. However
strategies and campaigns
such as swap it don’t stop it
and shape up Australia are
being implemented to try
lowering the number of
people with Diabetes,
thus reducing the amount
of money that has to be
spent on the Disease,
hence saving money that
could be better spent in
areas that are in need of
money.
OPINION
In my opinion, I believe
that the money that is being
spent on Diabetes should
be spent on more
campaigns to try and lower
the overall weight of the
country to try and not only
lower the number of people
with Diabetes but rather
lower the number of people
with obesity, hence
lowering the chances of
obese people
contracting other weight
related diseases such as
Diabetes and
Cardiovascular disease
The Australian Health Magazine
2014
Ca
nce
r
The
scary
reality
About Cancer
It’s likely that most
Australians know about
cancer because it has
affected someone we know
and love. There are many
types of cancers some more
well-known than others but
most Australians know
almost all of them.
We have made great
advances in recent years
and many of these cancers
that were once a death
sentence are now treatable
and curable.
Figures
Friday 20th June
has fallen by more than
16%.
This image shows the
cancer risks in both men
and women
Cancer affects millions
worldwide, every day in
Australia about 350 people
are told they have a lifethreatening cancer, and
sadly more than 115 people
die of this disease each day.
41,975 people die of cancer
each year in Australia alone.
1 in 2 Australian men and 1
in 3 Australian women will
be diagnosed with cancer
by the age of 85.
Cancer is the biggest killer
in Australia with more than
43,200 people dying of
cancer in 2011. Cancer
accounts for 3 out of 10
deaths in Australia. Around
19,000 more
people die each
year from
cancer than 30
years ago, this is
mainly due to
population
growth and an
aging
population. However, the
death rate (number of
deaths per 100,000 people)
More than 60% of people
who are diagnosed with
cancer will survive more
than five years after original
diagnoses. The survival rate
for many common cancers
has risen by 30% due to
funding to find cures, and
more awareness of cancer.
The most common cancers
in Australia (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) are
prostate, colorectal (bowel),
breast, melanoma and lung
cancer. These five cancers
account for over 60% of all
cancers diagnosed in
Australia. Over 434,000
people are treated for one
or more non-melanoma
skin cancers each year; with
543 people dying in 2011.
The Australian Health Magazine
2014
Friday 20th June
hormone therapy are some
of the treatments available
for cancer. Surgery is often
used in combination with
radiotherapy and/or
chemotherapy to make sure
that any cancer cells
remaining in the body are
removed.
Cost for cancer
Cancer costs more than
$3.8 billion in direct health
system costs (7.2%), cancer
is $1.2 billion less paid than
heart disease the largest
killer in the world. $378
million was spent on cancer
research in 2000-01, 22% of
all health research
expenditure in Australia.
Radiotherapy (also called
radiation therapy or x-ray
therapy) uses high energy
radiation to destroy cancer
cells or slow their growth.
It is commonly delivered
externally, through the skin.
Though, it can be
administered internally
(brachytherapy) with the
placement of small sources
of radioactive material in or
near the cancer.
Leads to cancer
It seems these days that
everything we do has a lead
to cancer. Tobacco,
ultraviolet radiation and
asbestos are some of the
main triggers to cancer.
1 in 9 cancers, and 1 in 5
deaths are due to smoking,
and nearly 3% of cancers
are due to alcohol
consumption.
Treatments for Cancer
Treatments for cancer a
very recent development in
the curing of deadly
diseases. Surgery,
radiotherapy,
chemotherapy and
Chemotherapy is almost
always used in combination
with other treatments; it
can’t usually kill cancer cells
by itself it needs to be
teamed up with another
treatment. Many cancers
rely on particular hormones
to be able to grow. These
cancers can often be
controlled by drugs that
suppress the body's
hormone production or
block the effect of the
hormone on tumour cells.
Hormone therapy can also
involve the surgical removal
of hormone producing
glands to control cancer
growth. These treatments
are commonly used for
prostate, breast and uterine
cancers.
Early Detection
Some cancers that are
found before they spread
and become a death
sentence. Tests have been
developed that can detect
these cancers well before
any symptoms are present.
National screening
programs are available in
Australia to detect breast
cancer, bowel cancer and
cervical cancer. These
programs are available free
of charge to people for who
show signs of cancer, the
screening test can find a
cancer at a stage when
treatment is more effective.
The aim of screening
programs is to pick up very
early cancers in healthy
individuals, who do not
have symptoms.
Cancer Council
The Australian Health Magazine
2014
Cancer council are an
Australian organisation
devoted to educating
people on how to be aware
of this rising problem. The
cancer council give support
for cancer victims, they also
give screening and early
detection programs. Cancer
Council grants more than
$49m to cancer research
each year.
Image: a Cancer cells
Friday 20th June
Image: Cancer spreading
into the lungs
This makes it different from
other prostate disorders,
which may result in urinary
symptoms (difficulty
starting the urine stream
and urinating much more
than usual).
Prostate Cancer
The total number of males
diagnosed with prostate
cancer in 2009 was
21,808.There were 3,294
deaths from prostate
cancer in 2011, which
accounted for 13.4% of all
male deaths from cancer.
There is no screening for
prostate cancer but there is
a prostate blood test and it
can detect prostate cancer
but cannot detect other
cancers.
The prostate is located
below the bladder and just
in front of the bowel.
Its main function is to
produce fluid that protects
and enriches sperm; so
prostate cancer is a male
issue.
Prostate cancer is an
abnormal growth of cells in
the prostate that form a
lump (tumour).
travelling in the blood
stream
Prostate cancer is the most
common cancer diagnosed
in Australia and the third
most common cause of
cancer death. It is more
common in older men. 85%
of cases diagnosed in men
over 65 years of age.
In time, without treatment
the cancer may spread to
other organs, particularly
the bones and lymph nodes,
and can be life threatening.
Generally at the early and
potentially curable stage,
prostate cancer does not
have obvious symptoms.
Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer kills 75
Australians a week.
Bowel cancer, also known
as colorectal cancer, is the
second largest cancer killer.
An FOBT is currently offered
free to Australians aged 50,
55, 60 and 65 under the
Australian Government’s
National Bowel Cancer
Screening Program. By
2020, it will be free for
everyone aged 50 to 74
every two years.
The Australian Health Magazine
2014
Risk factors include age,
inherited genetic risk,
inflammatory bowel
disease, obesity and
smoking.
Staging is determined by
how far the cancer has
penetrated through the
bowel wall. Stage 1 is where
the cancer just sits on the
bowel wall, stage 2 is
deeper and stage 3 is when
the cancer has gone
through the thickness of the
wall or out into the tissues
or lymph nodes beside the
bowel. Stage 4 means the
cancer has spread to other
organs, commonly the liver.
Stage 1 and 2 disease can
be treated with surgery
alone to remove the bowel
and surrounding lymph
nodes. Stage 3 disease
requires surgery and
additional chemotherapy to
try to prevent recurrence.
Widespread disease is
treated with chemotherapy.
New therapies are being
tested and trialled in
addition to chemotherapy.
An individual's prognosis
depends on the type and
stage of cancer, as well as
their age and general health
at the time of diagnosis.
With stage 1 bowel cancer,
an estimated 93% of
patients will still be alive at
five years. This falls to 82%
Friday 20th June
with stage 2, 59% with
stage 3 and 8% for
widespread disease. Across
all cases, the five year
survival rate for Australians
diagnosed with bowel
cancer is 66%.
excludes those who die
from other diseases. If the
cancer has spread to the
regional lymph nodes, five
year relative survival drops
to 80%. In Australia, the
overall five year survival
rate for breast cancer is
89%.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer Breast cancer
mainly occurs in women but
can occur in a minor
amount of men.
In 2011, 2914 women and
23 men died of breast
cancer in Australia.
Mammographic screening
every two years is
recommended for women
aged 50-74 years, although
screening is available for
women 40 years and above.
Symptoms of breast cancer
include: new lumps on
breast and breast area,
slightly swollen, rashes and
sore nipples.
Some causes of breast
cancer include: increasing
age, family history,
exposure to female
hormones (natural and
administered), obesity
(poor diet and inadequate
exercise) and excess alcohol
consumption.
If the cancer is limited to
the breast, 96% of patients
will be alive five years after
diagnosis; this figure
Government funding
In 2013, NHMRC funding on
research into cancer and
cancer control issues has
grown to $186 million, up
from $183 million in 2012.
In the ten years since 2003
more than $1.37 billion has
been expended on cancer
and related issues by
NHMRC funded Australian
researchers. This grant from
the Australian government
of $1.3 billion is a large
amount of money to be
investing into one of
Australia’s deadliest and
most common diseases. But
the question is are we
spending/wasting too much
money in the wrong spots
or can we spend it in
different areas to be able to
fund other diseases and
health threats?
The Australian Health Magazine
2014
Friday 20th June