Number 3: Stroke & Number 2: Heart Disease
Hispanics face a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases because of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Many times high blood pressure combined with obesity and diabetes can lead to heart disease, which is what makes this the second and third cause of death for Hispanics. The top cardiovascular diseases that they are at risk for are cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke. Some of the factors that lead to this include smoking, physical inactivity, obesity and high cholesterol.
Number 1: Cancer
Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, accounting for 22% of deaths. They have a higher risk for cancers associated with the most common cancers: liver, stomach and cervix. These types of cancers are associated with infectious agents. Liver cancer is caused by excessive alcohol consumption, stomach cancer comes from smoking and eating smoked processed foods, as well as drinking alcohol and obesity and cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection of certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Now that we know what the 5 top diseases that Hispanics are at risk for, it’s important to take charge of our health. Eating a healthier diet, exercising and limiting bad habits, like drinking and smoking could prevent all of these diseases. In most cases, it’s a domino effect, eating poorly leads to obesity, obesity leads to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, drinking and smoking can lead to cancer. Adopting a healthier lifestyle can offset these diseases if they run in your family, don’t continue the pattern, but be the healthiest you can be for your own good.
