Your Ethnic Background

Evaluating Risk Factors: Having A Certain Ethnicity

Evaluating your likely current (and near future) state of health means taking into account the risk factors — such as your ethnic background — that affect you.   Our medical diagnosis tool, The Analyst™, identifies major risk factors by asking the right questions.

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In the Personal Background section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about your ethnic background:
What is your ethnic background? (Various conditions affect certain groups more than others)
Possible responses:
→ Other / mixed / don't know
→ Of African descent
→ Asian / Pacific Islander
→ Caucasian (white)
→ Latin / Hispanic

The Diagnostic Process

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate African ethnicity, Asian ethnicity, Caucasian ethnicity or Latin / Hispanic ethnicity, The Analyst™ will use differential diagnosis to consider possibilities such as:
Bladder Cancer

Caucasians are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as African Americans or Hispanics.

Cervical Cancer

African-American women are more at risk of cervical cancer than are Caucasians.

Cluster Headaches

People of African ancestry are twice as likely to suffer from cluster headaches, compared to Caucasian people.

Coronary Disease / Heart Attack

African-Americans have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and coronary heart disease than whites.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common genetic disease amongst Caucasians.

Diabetes Type I

Type 1 diabetes is rare in most Asian, African and American Indian populations and more common in Caucasians.

Diabetes Type II

African-Americans have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and coronary heart disease than whites.  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]

Gallbladder Disease

As a general rule, gallbladder disease is most common in North and South Americans as well as those of European descent.  At highest risk are American Indians, followed by Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites, and non-Hispanic blacks.  Those of African or Asian descent are at lower risk.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is more common in certain racial groups, notably Afro-Caribbeans.

HIV/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]

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

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.

Interstitial Cystitis

For reasons unknown, 90% of interstitial cystitis cases occur among Caucasians.

Lactose Intolerance

A very significant number of Asian people suffer from lactose intolerance.  Seventy-five percent of African Americans cannot tolerate lactose.

Nearsightedness

People of Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian descent are especially likely to be myopic.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurs more frequently in whites than in African-Americans.

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.

Prostate Cancer

African-Americans have higher rates of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and coronary heart disease than whites.

Stroke

The death rate from stroke in African Americans is almost double that of Caucasians.

Testicular Cancer

For unknown reasons, testicular cancer is about four times more common in white men than in black men.

Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Dark-skinned people and people with a compromised immune system tend to have more serious infections.

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