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Pneumonia tops cause of death in Oro
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
By Nicole J. Managbanag
AMONG other diseases, pneumonia reportedly ranked first in the Top 10 causes of death in 80 barangays of Cagayan de Oro, based on the 2009 records of the City Health Office.
Jane Gacus, City Health statistician, said there were at least 531 deaths due to pneumonia recorded in the city.
She said the record is based on the actual medical mission conducted during the ?People to People Program.?
Dr. Jerome Basang, family and community medicine consultant at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, said death due to pneumonia occurs reportedly by ?taking for granted the signs and symptoms of the disease.?
Pneumonia, he said, is an abnormal inflammatory condition of the lungs resulting from a variety of causes, including infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, and other chemical or physical injury to the lungs.
He said the typical symptoms associated with pneumonia include cough, chest pain, fever and difficulty in breathing.
?Pneumonia is a common illness that will occur in all age groups. If taken for granted, it may result to death among the elderly and people who are chronically and terminally ill,? Basang said.
He added that it is the leading cause of death in children under five years old.
?Worldwide vaccines to prevent certain types of pneumonia are already available,? Basang said.
Aside from pneumonia, the other diseases included in the Top 10 causes of death in the city are cancer with 453 cases, cerebrovascular accident (CVA) with 419 cases, Coronary Artery Disorder with 407 cases, hypertensive vascular disease with 205 cases, ?senile debility" or Alzheimer?s disease with 202 cases, accident particularly vehicular with 184 cases, sepsis or blood poisoning with 168 cases, Diabetes Mellitus with 130 cases, and chronic renal failure with 112 cases.
Cerebrovascular accident is the sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. It is commonly referred to as a stroke.
Gacus said Coronary Artery Disorder used to be the leading cause of death in the city in 2009.
Meanwhile, hypertensive vascular disease is a chronic disorder in which the blood pressures are elevated, commonly known as high blood while ?senile debility" or Alzheimer?s disease is also known as organic brain syndrome which is common during old age.
Diabetes Mellitus, on the other hand, is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar level as a result of the body either not producing enough insulin or because the body cells do not properly respond to the insulin that is produced. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which enables body cells to absorb glucose and turn it into energy. If the body cells do not absorb the glucose, it accumulates in the blood (hyperglycemia) leading to various potential medical complications.
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on March 24, 2010.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
By Nicole J. Managbanag
AMONG other diseases, pneumonia reportedly ranked first in the Top 10 causes of death in 80 barangays of Cagayan de Oro, based on the 2009 records of the City Health Office.
Jane Gacus, City Health statistician, said there were at least 531 deaths due to pneumonia recorded in the city.
She said the record is based on the actual medical mission conducted during the ?People to People Program.?
Dr. Jerome Basang, family and community medicine consultant at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, said death due to pneumonia occurs reportedly by ?taking for granted the signs and symptoms of the disease.?
Pneumonia, he said, is an abnormal inflammatory condition of the lungs resulting from a variety of causes, including infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, and other chemical or physical injury to the lungs.
He said the typical symptoms associated with pneumonia include cough, chest pain, fever and difficulty in breathing.
?Pneumonia is a common illness that will occur in all age groups. If taken for granted, it may result to death among the elderly and people who are chronically and terminally ill,? Basang said.
He added that it is the leading cause of death in children under five years old.
?Worldwide vaccines to prevent certain types of pneumonia are already available,? Basang said.
Aside from pneumonia, the other diseases included in the Top 10 causes of death in the city are cancer with 453 cases, cerebrovascular accident (CVA) with 419 cases, Coronary Artery Disorder with 407 cases, hypertensive vascular disease with 205 cases, ?senile debility" or Alzheimer?s disease with 202 cases, accident particularly vehicular with 184 cases, sepsis or blood poisoning with 168 cases, Diabetes Mellitus with 130 cases, and chronic renal failure with 112 cases.
Cerebrovascular accident is the sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. It is commonly referred to as a stroke.
Gacus said Coronary Artery Disorder used to be the leading cause of death in the city in 2009.
Meanwhile, hypertensive vascular disease is a chronic disorder in which the blood pressures are elevated, commonly known as high blood while ?senile debility" or Alzheimer?s disease is also known as organic brain syndrome which is common during old age.
Diabetes Mellitus, on the other hand, is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar level as a result of the body either not producing enough insulin or because the body cells do not properly respond to the insulin that is produced. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which enables body cells to absorb glucose and turn it into energy. If the body cells do not absorb the glucose, it accumulates in the blood (hyperglycemia) leading to various potential medical complications.
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on March 24, 2010.
