In the 'Personal Background' section of our in-depth questionnaire we ask the following question about ethnic background:
 |
 |
 |
|
What is your ethnic background? (Various conditions affect certain groups more than others)
|
Your answer |
...indicates |
...and suggests |
| 1. |
"Other / don't know" |
|
|
| 2. |
"Of African descent" |
African ethnicity |
A risk factor |
| 3. |
"Asian" |
Asian ethnicity |
A risk factor |
| 4. |
"Caucasian (white)" |
Caucasian ethnicity |
A risk factor |
| 5. |
"Latin / Hispanic" |
Latin / Hispanic ethnicity |
A risk factor |
|
|
 |
|
 |
Your answer will affect the likelihoods of the conditions below.
Any answers in green reduce the likelihood of the condition.
|
|
|
|
| Answers |
Condition |
Comment |
|
2 |
|
|
|
AIDS |
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AIDS affects nearly seven times more African Americans than whites. [CDC HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, Vol. 12, 2000] |
|
|
|
|
5 |
AIDS |
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AIDS affects nearly three times more Hispanic Americans than whites. [CDC HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, Vol. 12, 2000] |
|
|
|
4 |
|
Bladder Cancer |
Caucasians are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as African Americans or Hispanics. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Cervical Cancer |
(Women only) African-American women are more at risk of cervical cancer than are caucasians. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Coronary Disease / Heart Attack |
African-Americans have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and coronary heart disease than whites. |
|
|
|
4 |
|
Cystic Fibrosis |
Cystic Fibrosis is the most common genetic disease amongst Caucasians. |
|
|
|
4 |
|
Diabetes Type I |
Type 1 diabetes is rare in most Asian, African and American Indian populations and more common in Caucasians. |
|
|
|
|
5 |
Diabetes Type II |
Hispanics have a higher rate of diabetes than whites. Among people who do not have diabetes, insulin levels are higher in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic whites, indicating their greater predisposition for developing type 2 diabetes. Several other studies have also shown a higher rate of hyperinsulinemia in Hispanics than in non-Hispanics. [Diabetes in America 2nd ed., NIH Publication No. 95-1468, pp.613-630] |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Diabetes Type II |
African-Americans have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and coronary heart disease than whites. |
|
|
|
4 |
5 |
Gallbladder Disease |
-- |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Glaucoma |
Glaucoma is more common in certain racial groups, notably Afro-Caribbeans. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Hypertension |
Hypertension occurs more often in black adults (32%) than in white (23%) or Mexican American (23%) adults, and morbidity and mortality are greater amongst blacks. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Lactose Intolerance |
Seventy-five percent of African Americans cannot tolerate lactose. |
|
|
3 |
|
|
Lactose Intolerance |
A very significant number of Asian people suffer from lactose intolerance. |
|
|
|
|
5 |
Lactose Intolerance |
A significant number of Latin and Hispanic people suffer from lactose intolerance. |
|
|
|
4 |
|
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma |
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurs more frequently in whites than in African-Americans. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Pancreatic Cancer |
Studies in the United States have shown that pancreatic cancer is more common in the African-American population than it is in the white population. Some of this increased risk may be due to socioeconomic factors and higher levels of cigarette smoking. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Prostate Cancer |
(Men only) African-Americans have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and coronary heart disease than whites. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Stroke |
The death rate from stroke in African Americans is almost double that of Caucasians. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Sun Damage/Overexposure |
-- |
|
|
|
4 |
|
Testicular Cancer |
(Men only) For unknown reasons, testicular cancer is about four times more common in white men than in black men. |
|
|
3 |
|
|
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) |
Dark-skinned people and people with a compromised immune system tend to have more serious infections. |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) |
Dark-skinned people and people with a compromised immune system tend to have more serious infections. |
|
|
|
|
|
GLOSSARY
AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. An immune system deficiency disorder that suddenly alters the body's ability to defend itself. The AIDS virus invades the T4 helper/inducer lymphocytes and multiplies, causing a breakdown in the body's immune system, eventually leading to overwhelming infection and/or cancer, with ultimate death.
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
CDC
United States' Center for Disease Control.
Cystic Fibrosis
(CF) An incurable genetic disease involving a sticky buildup of mucus in the lungs (which makes breathing difficult and leads to infections), as well as pancreatic insufficiency (which leads to digestive problems). Symptoms include chronic cough producing thick mucus, excessive appetite combined with weight loss, intestinal disorders, salty sweat/skin and pneumonia. Lung-related problems are the most frequent cause of death. CF is a recessive disease, occurring only when a person inherits two mutated copies of the CF gene - one from each parent. Individuals with CF generally have a life expectancy of about 30 years.
Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetics)
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Glaucoma
A disease of the eye characterized by vision loss due to an increase in the pressure of fluid within the eye. This rise in pressure results from a build-up of aqueous fluid and leads to progressive damage to the optic nerve that transmits visual signals to the brain. Over time, glaucoma can lead to a gradual loss in peripheral vision. There are usually no signs that you're developing glaucoma until vision loss occurs.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
A retrovirus associated with onset of advanced immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Hypertension
High blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure because it adds to the workload of the heart, causing it to enlarge and, over time, to weaken; in addition, it may damage the walls of the arteries.
Immune System (Immune Response, Immunity)
A complex that protects the body from disease organisms and other foreign bodies. The system includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response. The immune system also protects the body from invasion by making local barriers and inflammation. The process may involve acquired immunity (the ability to learn and remember a specific infectious agent), or innate immunity (the genetically programmed system of responses that attack, digest, remove, and initiate inflammation and tissue healing).
Insulin
A hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose levels. Insulin stimulates the liver, muscles, and fat cells to remove glucose from the blood for use or storage.
Lactose Intolerance (Lactose Intolerant)
A condition caused by a lack of an enzyme called lactase, which, in turn, causes the body to be unable to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk products. Common symptoms, which begin about 30 minutes to two hours after consuming foods or beverages containing lactose, may include: nausea, cramps, bloating, gas and/or diarrhea. The severity of symptoms varies depending on the amount of lactose consumed and the amount that an individual can tolerate.
Lymphoma (Lymphomas)
Any tumor of the lymphatic tissues.
NIH
National Institutes of Health.
Pancreas (Pancreatic)
Opposite the liver and behind the stomach, the pancreas has two main functions - to manufacture various enzymes for digestion, and to release hormones to help control the body's use of carbohydrates. It releases insulin to help each cell absorb glucose to burn as energy. In this way, insulin controls the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Proper pancreatic function is very important: too much, too little, or no insulin production can be life-threatening. Some of the chemicals released by the pancreas are not hormones, but stimulate other glands to make hormones. Once again, balance is necessary. Nutritional requirements for the pancreas are many. Research indicates that chromium vitamins C, E, B-complex, calcium, magnesium and potassium are especially important.
Prostate
The prostate gland in men that surrounds the neck of the bladder and the urethra and produces a secretion that liquefies coagulated semen.
Stroke (Stroke-Type Event)
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, complete or partial loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain. The most common manifestation is some degree of paralysis, but small strokes may occur without symptoms. Usually caused by arteriosclerosis, it often results in brain damage.
Testicles (Testicle, Testicular)
Egg-shaped sex glands in the scrotum that secrete male hormones such as testosterone, and produce sperm.
Last updated: May 10, 2007
|
 |
|
|
