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LANSING Dr. Karen Kent VanGorder sees a lot of patients who aren't compelled to manage their health because they don't have troubling symptoms.

"The mostcommon thing I hear as a doctor is someone looks at me and shrugs and says, 'I feel good," VanGorder, who servesas Sparrow Health System's chief medical officer, said.

That can be an issue with chronic conditions like high cholesterol that often don't have symptoms until they lead to major issues like stroke or heart attack, she said.

VanGorder saidshe tries to help patients understand "the natural history of a chronic condition absolutely applies to them" and they need to think about how they'll feel in 10, 15 or even 20 years.

"Lucky is not a plan," she said.

VanGorder works to motivate patients to eliminate risk from their life, comparing it to teaching a kid to look both ways before crossing the street and she said the good news isthat it can besimple.

It can be as easy as walking every day, she said, stressing that increasing activity is free and doesn't require an appointment or insurance.

"The more we move in mid-Michigan, the healthier we're going to be," she said.

And people's health does impact the community in various ways, VanGorder said.

When people have chronic conditions, it affects family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and more, she said.

And according to a state survey that tracks the prevalence of medical conditions, among other topics, some of those conditions affect around a third of the adults in the Lansing area.

People with high cholesterol and high blood pressureare much more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or another vascular issue because of damage to blood vessels.

Prevalence: According to the Centers for Disease Control, 68 million American adults a little less than 33% have high cholesterol and about 32% have high blood pressure.

Show caption Hide caption Michael Ranville, 74, of Charlotte, works out Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at ALIVE! in Charlotte. He suffered a massive heart attack in 1984, and...Michael Ranville, 74, of Charlotte, works out Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at ALIVE! in Charlotte. He suffered a massive heart attack in 1984, and had a heart transplant in 2015. Ranville works out for 35-40 minutes three days a week.MATTHEW DAE SMITH/Lansing State Journal

Issues with both cholesterol and blood pressure are more common in Michigan. According to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 36.5% of Michiganders have high cholesterol and 33.9% have been diagnosed with hypertension.

High cholesterol ratesUSA Today Network

Regionally, it's about as prevalent 36.7% of people in the Lansing area and nearby counties said they have had their cholesterol checked within the last five years and had a health professional tell them they have high cholesterol. And 35.1% of respondents in the Lansing area said a health professional has told them they have high blood pressure.

It's more prevalent in Barry and Eaton Counties, where 41.4% of respondents self-identified as having high cholesterol and43.4% said they've been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Issues with cholesterol and blood pressure are least prevalent in Ingham County, where 34.6% of people said they've been diagnosed with high cholesterol and30.2% of respondents indicated a health professional has told them they have high blood pressure.

Cost: According to a study published last year in the Journal of the American Heart Association, adults with high blood pressure spend nearly $2,000 more each year on health care.

According to that same study, health care for adults with high blood pressure costs an extra $131 billion annually than it does for those without hypertension.

Another report commissioned by the American Heart Association found that in 2010, heart disease cost the country $273 billion in direct medical costs and $172 billion in lost productivity.

High blood pressure ratesUSA Today Network

Treatment and Prevention: Lifestyle plays a major factor in people's cholesterol and blood pressure levels. To help avoid or manage either condition, people can:

People with high blood pressure also can benefit from reducing stress, limiting how much alcohol they drink and eating food that's rich in potassium, including fruits like bananas and oranges, cooked vegetables like broccoli and spinach and some fish such as tuna and trout.

When lifestyle changes aren't enough, medication can help. Drugs known as statins are the primary medication used to treat high cholesterol.

There are many more types of drugs that can treat high blood pressure, from diuretics that get rid of excess sodium to beta-blockers that reduce heart rate to vasodilators that relax the walls of blood vessels.

Impact on everyday life: Hear from Dr. Awais Kang, a cardiologist with McLaren Greater Lansing, about helping patients with high cholesterol and high blood pressure avoid more serious heart problems and regain heart function.

Heather Tompkins-Herber talks about managing her arthritis Friday, Oct. 18, 2019.Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal

Prevalence: About 23% of Americans have arthritis, according to the CDC.

The inflammatory disorder is more common in Michigan, where 30.8% of respondents to a statewide survey say a health professional has diagnosed them with arthritis.

And it's about as common in the Lansing region, with 29.5% of respondents saying they've been diagnosed.

It's more common in Barry, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia and Montcalm counties, where 33.5% of people said they have arthritis.

Arthritis ratesUSA Today Network

And it's less common in Ingham County, where 26.3% of respondents said a health professional has diagnosed them with arthritis.

Cost: According to a study published in 2017, adults with arthritis spent an extra $2,117 in medical costs and missed out on $4,040 in potential wages each, on average, in 2013.

Nearly half of all medical costs went to outpatient care, which can include diagnosis, consultation, treatment and rehabilitation.

Treatment: There are various ways to treat the symptoms of arthritis.

Some might opt for medication. Most drugs used to treat arthritis help relieve pain and inflammation.

Others might choose to take supplements and herbs to treat pain, stiffness and inflammation or opt for other treatments like massage or electrical stimulation as an alternative to drugs.

Joint surgery and otherprocedures arealso an option, but areusually recommended only after trying other treatment methods.

Prevention: According to the Arthritis Foundation, there's no sure way to prevent the condition.

But there are ways to reduce risk factors and delay the potential onset of any of the various 100 forms of arthritis, including:

Impact on everyday life: Learn how Heather Tompkins-Herber, a Charlotte residentdiagnosed with arthritis in her early thirties, manages nearly constant pain in her neck and spine.

Prevalence: According to the CDC, 7.7% of Americans have "current asthma." That means they've been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their life and have been told they still have the condition.

Asthma is more common in Michigan, with 10.7% of survey respondents saying they still struggle with the condition.

Eric Ware, of Lansing, pictured with medicines he must carry in case of an asthma attack. He has battled asthma since he was 5.Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal

Locally, it's less common in Clinton, Ionia and Montcalm counties, where 8.1% of respondents say they still have asthma.

It's more common in Ingham County, where 12.1% of people say they have current asthma.

Cost: A CDC study published last year found the total annual cost of asthma including medical care, absenteeism and mortality was $81.9 billion.

That breaks down to $3,266 per person, on average:

The study found adults with asthma missed a combined 8.7 million work days and lost an average of $214 in potential earnings.

Treatment: There are a variety of medicines that can help people control their asthma.

The American Lung Association breaks them into five categories:

Asthma ratesUSA Today Network

Prevention: According to the Mayo Clinic, it isn't clear why some people get asthma and others don't, but there are risk factors that might increase the chance of getting asthma.

Some of those you can't necessarily control, such as whether a parent or sibling has asthma or whether you have an allergic condition like eczema.

Others, though, are based on behavior or environment:

The U.S. has third-highest rate of child asthma cases linked to traffic-related air pollution

A shocking 4 million cases of children developing asthma per year could stem from traffic-related air pollution.

Buzz60

Impact on everyday life: Eric Ware was diagnosed with asthma at 5. Learn about how he's managed it, including just accepting it as a lung disease.

Prevalence:According to the CDC, 9.3% of American adults have diabetes.

State figures show it's more common in Michigan, with 11% of survey respondents saying they've been diagnosed with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

It's slightly less common in the region, with 10.3% of people surveyed saying they have diabetes.

That's swayed by Ingham County, where it's much less prevalent 7.9% of people said they've been diagnosed with diabetes.

It's more common in Barry and Eaton counties, where 13.4% say they've been diagnosed, and Clinton, Ionia and Montcalm counties, where 12.2% say they have either of the two main types of diabetes.

Cost:According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes have medical expenses about 2.3 times higher than those without diabetes.

ADA organization estimates diagnosed diabetes costs around$9.7 billioneach year in Michigan alone, based on data from 2017:

Treatment: People with any type of diabetes need to check their blood sugar levels multiple times a day. Treatment, though, can vary from person to person.

Diabetes ratesUSA Today Network

Some people can manage their diabetes with healthy eating and exercise. Others need to take medication to lower their blood sugar or inject prescription insulin to help their body regulate blood sugar levels by either using or storing glucose.

Prevention: Different kind of diabetes have different causes, including the most common Type 1 and Type 2.

The American Diabetes Association identifies two factors that are key in causing both types: Inheriting a predisposition to the disease and environmental triggers.

For example, research has shown people who live in places with cold climates develop Type 1 diabetes more often, but in most cases, people also need to inherit risk factors from both parents.

Lifestyle is more influential in developing Type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown those at risk of developing Type 2 can delay or prevent it with exercise and weight loss.

ADA recommends learning your risk and they have a quick online test anyone can take atdiabetes.org/risk-test. People also can ask their doctor about the A1C test, a blood test that can help identify prediabetes or diagnose either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Impact on everyday life: Learn how Hillary Coleman, a 28-year-old Lansing resident, manages herType I diabetes.

Contact reporter Megan Banta at (517) 377-1261 or mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

Read the rest here:
Which chronic health issues plague Greater Lansing? Read the list, learn how to beat them - Lansing State Journal

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