The 10 leading killers of Ugandan Men
Aug 24, 2008
THE average Ugandan man lives two years less than the average woman. Inherited traits and male sex hormones may play a role, affecting such characteristics as body fat distribution.
By Fred Ouma
THE average Ugandan man lives two years less than the average woman. Inherited traits and male sex hormones may play a role, affecting such characteristics as body fat distribution.
Men are more likely to accumulate fat around the abdomen (apple-shape obesity), which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke.
Women, on the other hand, are more likely to put on extra weight around the hips (pear-shape obesity). Though unhealthy, this type of fat distribution is not linked closely to potentially fatal conditions.
Socially sanctioned “male†behaviour also may predispose men to premature death. Research shows that men are more likely to smoke, drink, use illicit drugs and engage in casual sex than women, all of which can increase their risk of serious diseases.
Males are also more likely to take risks and behave aggressively, which may partly explain why they have a higher risk of dying from accidents, suicide and homicide.
However, by recognising the leading threats to your life you can take steps to reduce the risks and even death. Below is a list of men’s top 10 health threats, most of them preventable.
Heart disease
Cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease, raised blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure.
The major causes of cardiovascular disease are tobacco use, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet.
About 17.5 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2005.
Men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women do.
Dr. Tom Mwambu of Uganda Heart Institute says they are more likely to die in their prime(35 to 65 years).
Cancer
About 7.6 million people die of cancer each year, according to the WHO. In Uganda, data on cancer is not available as only 4% of cases are reported. The Uganda Cancer Institute notes that Kaposi’s sacoma, cancer of cervix, breast cancer and prostate cancer are the leading causes of death.
Accidents
Uganda experiences over 2,000 fatalities a year due traffic crashes often attributed to speeding and poor visibility. More than twice half of those who die in traffic accidents are men.
Male drivers involved in such accidents are almost twice as likely as female drivers to be intoxicated. Falls and drowning are the second and third-leading causes of male deaths, partly because men are concentrated in dangerous occupations like construction and fishing.
Stroke
The recently deceased Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa gave in to a stroke, the second leading cause of death above the age of 60 years, and the fifth leading cause in people aged 15 to 59 years old.
According to the World Heart Federation, 16 million people experience stroke each year and about five to seven million die. Over 80% of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
Experts predict that it will triple over the next two decades. Although you may not control some stroke risk factors, such as family history, age and race, Dr. Mwambu says you can control high blood pressure, the leading cause as well as contributing factors such as smoking and diabetes.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
In 2003, according to the American Lung Association, 60,714 men died of COPD, a group of chronic lung conditions that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Dr. Edward Mbidde, the director of Uganda Virus Research Institute, says COPD is associated with lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths among men.
“The main cause is smoking,†says Dr. Mbidde. “Men who smoke are 12 times more likely to die of COPD than men who have never smoked.â€
Diabetes
According to the Uganda Diabetes Association, about one million Ugandans are affected by diabetes, a disease that affects the way the body uses blood sugar (glucose). Excess body fat, is a major risk factor for diabetes.
“Many people, especially men, are unaware of the disease until they develop complications such as impotence or erectile dysfunction, nerve damage causing pain or loss of sensation in the hands or feet, vision loss, or kidney disease, says Prof. Marcel Andrew Otim of Kampala Diabetes Centre in Kamwokya.
Influenza and pneumonia
Doctors still know little about the nose-running, cough-inducing cold, whose root causes number in the hundreds.
Pneumonia is especially life-threatening to people whose lungs have already been damaged by COPD, asthma or smoking.
The risk of death from pneumonia or influenza is also higher among people with heart disease, diabetes or a weakened immune system due to AIDS or immunosuppressive drugs.
Suicide
Dr. Julius Muron, a psychiatrist at Butabika Hospital, says men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women, partly because they are more likely to use deadlier means like firearms when they set out to take their lives.
In addition, male depression is under-diagnosed, partly because men are less likely than women are to seek treatment for it.
“Usually men do not develop standard symptoms such as sadness, worthlessness and excessive guilt,†says Dr. Muron.
“Instead, they are more likely to complain of fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances and loss of interest in work or hobbies.†He adds that alcohol or drug abuse both more common in men can mask depression and make it more difficult to diagnose.
Kidney disease
About four to five kidney patients are received at the Mulago Kidney Centre monthly.
Dr. Edward Kigonya, the senior physician in charge of the unit, says most of these patients are usually in the last stage of kidney failure.
“Only a tiny number, about 2%, can afford this costly treatment,†he says. The kidneys are the second most important organs after the lungs. Their failure to function leads to death within weeks, says Kigonya.
Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that manifests differently in each of its sufferers. Most Ugandans aged 65 or older have the disease.
Dr. Musisi Segane, a consultant psychiatrist says the exact cause is not known and it cannot be effectively treated.
Putting health risks into perspective
Heart disease is the number one lifetime health threat to men, it tops all other causes of death among men in two age groups: ages 45 to 54, and age 65 and over.
The bottom line: Be concerned about health risks, but do not panic. Do all you can to lead a healthy lifestyle.
THE average Ugandan man lives two years less than the average woman. Inherited traits and male sex hormones may play a role, affecting such characteristics as body fat distribution.
Men are more likely to accumulate fat around the abdomen (apple-shape obesity), which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke.
Women, on the other hand, are more likely to put on extra weight around the hips (pear-shape obesity). Though unhealthy, this type of fat distribution is not linked closely to potentially fatal conditions.
Socially sanctioned “male†behaviour also may predispose men to premature death. Research shows that men are more likely to smoke, drink, use illicit drugs and engage in casual sex than women, all of which can increase their risk of serious diseases.
Males are also more likely to take risks and behave aggressively, which may partly explain why they have a higher risk of dying from accidents, suicide and homicide.
However, by recognising the leading threats to your life you can take steps to reduce the risks and even death. Below is a list of men’s top 10 health threats, most of them preventable.
Heart disease
Cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease, raised blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure.
The major causes of cardiovascular disease are tobacco use, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet.
About 17.5 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2005.
Men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women do.
Dr. Tom Mwambu of Uganda Heart Institute says they are more likely to die in their prime(35 to 65 years).
Cancer
About 7.6 million people die of cancer each year, according to the WHO. In Uganda, data on cancer is not available as only 4% of cases are reported. The Uganda Cancer Institute notes that Kaposi’s sacoma, cancer of cervix, breast cancer and prostate cancer are the leading causes of death.
Accidents
Uganda experiences over 2,000 fatalities a year due traffic crashes often attributed to speeding and poor visibility. More than twice half of those who die in traffic accidents are men.
Male drivers involved in such accidents are almost twice as likely as female drivers to be intoxicated. Falls and drowning are the second and third-leading causes of male deaths, partly because men are concentrated in dangerous occupations like construction and fishing.
Stroke
The recently deceased Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa gave in to a stroke, the second leading cause of death above the age of 60 years, and the fifth leading cause in people aged 15 to 59 years old.
According to the World Heart Federation, 16 million people experience stroke each year and about five to seven million die. Over 80% of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
Experts predict that it will triple over the next two decades. Although you may not control some stroke risk factors, such as family history, age and race, Dr. Mwambu says you can control high blood pressure, the leading cause as well as contributing factors such as smoking and diabetes.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
In 2003, according to the American Lung Association, 60,714 men died of COPD, a group of chronic lung conditions that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Dr. Edward Mbidde, the director of Uganda Virus Research Institute, says COPD is associated with lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths among men.
“The main cause is smoking,†says Dr. Mbidde. “Men who smoke are 12 times more likely to die of COPD than men who have never smoked.â€
Diabetes
According to the Uganda Diabetes Association, about one million Ugandans are affected by diabetes, a disease that affects the way the body uses blood sugar (glucose). Excess body fat, is a major risk factor for diabetes.
“Many people, especially men, are unaware of the disease until they develop complications such as impotence or erectile dysfunction, nerve damage causing pain or loss of sensation in the hands or feet, vision loss, or kidney disease, says Prof. Marcel Andrew Otim of Kampala Diabetes Centre in Kamwokya.
Influenza and pneumonia
Doctors still know little about the nose-running, cough-inducing cold, whose root causes number in the hundreds.
Pneumonia is especially life-threatening to people whose lungs have already been damaged by COPD, asthma or smoking.
The risk of death from pneumonia or influenza is also higher among people with heart disease, diabetes or a weakened immune system due to AIDS or immunosuppressive drugs.
Suicide
Dr. Julius Muron, a psychiatrist at Butabika Hospital, says men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women, partly because they are more likely to use deadlier means like firearms when they set out to take their lives.
In addition, male depression is under-diagnosed, partly because men are less likely than women are to seek treatment for it.
“Usually men do not develop standard symptoms such as sadness, worthlessness and excessive guilt,†says Dr. Muron.
“Instead, they are more likely to complain of fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances and loss of interest in work or hobbies.†He adds that alcohol or drug abuse both more common in men can mask depression and make it more difficult to diagnose.
Kidney disease
About four to five kidney patients are received at the Mulago Kidney Centre monthly.
Dr. Edward Kigonya, the senior physician in charge of the unit, says most of these patients are usually in the last stage of kidney failure.
“Only a tiny number, about 2%, can afford this costly treatment,†he says. The kidneys are the second most important organs after the lungs. Their failure to function leads to death within weeks, says Kigonya.
Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that manifests differently in each of its sufferers. Most Ugandans aged 65 or older have the disease.
Dr. Musisi Segane, a consultant psychiatrist says the exact cause is not known and it cannot be effectively treated.
Putting health risks into perspective
Heart disease is the number one lifetime health threat to men, it tops all other causes of death among men in two age groups: ages 45 to 54, and age 65 and over.
The bottom line: Be concerned about health risks, but do not panic. Do all you can to lead a healthy lifestyle.