Heart Disease and Baldness - Assignment Example

? Effect of Vertex Baldness and Change in Lifestyles on Heart Diseases Nature provides numerous, vital opportunities to humans and it is the core of man’s living. It is flexible and gives man a chance to manipulate it. In seeking to discover more about nature so that they can alter parameters that seem threatening to them, humans have invested heavily in nature related research work. So far, a lot has been achieved but still there are other unexplored areas, especially in the field of medicine and health. One such area pertains to the parameters underlying heart diseases. This paper focuses the relationship between baldness and heart related diseases. The study on these subject entailed qualitative approach, including analysing and drawing inferences. A study involved enrolling 44,142 Brazilian male populations aged 40 to 80 years at entry in 1992 with no history of heart disease or cancer. Various risk factors were assessed, including use of cigarettes and alcohol, physical activity, history of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Individuals were annually followed up, to obtain information about the occurrence of heart disease. In doing this research, the eminent questions that required responding to were: what is heart related diseases? What are the causes of heart related disease? What are risk factors and to what extend do they predict future occurrences of the disease? What is baldness? What were the findings of the research and is there a link between baldness and heart related diseases? Heart diseases, commonly referred to as cardiovascular or coronary heart diseases, are health complications pertaining to the blood vessels or the heart (Rebora , 2001). Arteries walls narrow due to build up of plaque, blocking up free blood flow. This creates risks for stroke or heart attack. Heart diseases include arrhythmia, heart failure, cardiac arrest heart valve problem, as well as the irregular heartbeat (Massimo, 2000). Conditions that lead to heart diseases include high cholesterol intake, diabetes, stroke, Artery Peripheral diseases, and congenital defects of the heart, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure and use of cigarettes among others (Tjonnel, 1999). Baldness or androgenic alopecia, on the other hand, is the incomplete or partial lack of hair (Bates, 2010). In males, pattern baldness occurs when hair recedes from the forehead’s lateral sides and extents towards the vertex. This creates a ring of hair horseshoe-shaped at the back of one’s head (Hillmer, 2005). The pattern and extend of baldness varies greatly and it is the main cause of pattern baldness in both females and males. Patchy loss of hair is a condition associated with alopecia areata (mild baldness) while total loss of air is associated with lopecia tatalis. The most pronounced cases of baldness entail the vertex baldness. Vertex part is the head’s upper surface, including the four bones of the human skull (occipital, frontal and parietal bones). The pattern of baldness incidences in population vary basing on generic background. Research has shown that this type of baldness is not greatly affected by environmental factors but only increases with age (Rebora, 2004). Those affected severely are about 73.5% of men and about 57% of women with over eighty years. According to Peter (2009), the incidences of baldness affecting males are directly related to age. In this study, the findings were recorded and analysed as follows. A table to summarise the occurrence of heart diseases with no baldness versus vertex baldness was drawn. Secondly, the absolute risk of heart disease in each group was determined. Thirdly, the relative risk of heart disease with vertex baldness was determined, as well as the risk of heart disease due to vertex baldness and other questions relevant to the study. Part 1 a) This is an observation study b) NO BALDNESS VERTEX BALDNESS OCCURANCE OF HEART d DISEASE 1096 1130 C) Absolute risk of an individual with no baldness developing a heart disease in a life time is 0.49 while the absolute risk of an individual with vertex baldness is 0.507. d) There are higher risks of contracting heart disease for individuals with vertex baldness than individuals with no baldness. 1.7% more risks for vertex baldness individuals as compared to no baldness individuals. e) The attributed risk of heart diseases due to vertex baldness is 565 per 1113 persons f) No I don’t believe the study because heart diseases might have been affected by confounding factors rather that vertex baldness. The research found vertex baldness to be closely associated with the risk of heart diseases. However, cholesterol and smoking (the potential confounding factors) might have confounded the heart disease and vertex baldness association (Axelson, 1989) Cholesterol and cigarette smoking, are risk factors on their own to heart related diseases, and may have been the causal agents to heart diseases since result shows that in the cohorts, smokers stood at 25% 29%. While cholesterol levels were in the range (5.60 + /- 1.05 5.77 + /- 1.08). Therefore if, the potential confounding effects of cholesterol and smoking, are controlled, it might be shown that vertex baldness has no association with heart diseases. Vertex baldness- Heart diseases Vertex baldness- Heart diseases Smoking Vertex baldness heart diseases Cholesterol Dealing with the potential confounders at the designing stage of this study or after the study during analysis with provision of necessary data collected would remedy the problem. This is achieved by identifying the confounding factors at the stage of designing the study basing on previous studies. In this case, consider randomisation to distribute the potential confounders in the study group. Additionally, consider the matching to make sure the distribution of the potential confounders is very similar to those among the cases. Furthermore, restriction can be considered as a way of limiting participation of individuals similar to the potential confounders. g) From the study outcomes, it is likely that the 60 year old bald guest who had a heart attack having not had risk factors associated with heart diseases, i.e., no hypertension, no high cholesterol, has never been a smoker, is not diabetic, is that his vertex baldness was not responsible for his heart attack. The information needed is about other risk factors for heart diseases other than known factors (hypertension, smoking, diabetes as well as high cholesterol level).Additionally, He needs to know the measures to be taken to prevent heart attack. Because of the potential confounders during the study, vertex baldness might not be the cause of heart diseases. But rather smoking and cholesterol cases among the corhots might be the cause of the small variations in percentages between the vertex baldness and the no baldness. This implies that the heart disease for the 60-year old was not caused by baldness but rather a genetic disorder or any other defect. Among other causes, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Morfan syndrome, and the long QT syndromes are the genetic disease associated with heart related diseases. Additionally, family history and risk of hair loss might be the cause of the baldness ( Chumlea, 2004). There is needed information on how to cope, control or avoid stress that could lead to heart disease. This will act as a recovery program for the 60-year old. Common feelings associated with heart diseases are anxiety, denial, fear of becoming an invalid, depression as well as, fears of over-protection by members of the family. He should therefore, empress a lifestyle free of these elements. Denial happens because of being overwhelmed by the idea that one has heart disease. Changes in the life style should be impressed or otherwise consider seeking professional counselling. Secondly, Anxiety comes about as a respond to unknown or scary situations. Anxiety can be avoided by sharing it out feelings with family members and other people. Making use of the information learned in hospital will boost confidence. Thirdly, depression is demonstrated by loneliness, sad feelings and feeling angry. The best way of dealing with depression is by becoming active throughout. Last but not least, learning how to manage stress is a score in avoiding heart diseases ( Mayrent, 1987). This can be accomplished by recognizing stressful situations and learning how to deal with them. PART 2 Q2) a) High margin of deviation realized in the experimental group (900 of the 1100 experimental subjects) as opposed to (500 of the 9500) controlling subjects. This reflects a positive effect of the lifestyle change regimen. Statistically, in experimental subjects, 9 cases out of 10 cases responded well to lifestyle change and therefore, recorded a significant drop in myocardial infarction. While 1 case out of the 19 cases for the usual care subjects, recorded a drop in myocardial infarction. It clearly points out that change in lifestyle is one of the means of dealing with heart diseases. b) Potential problems of this intervention study are errors in measurement that occurred as a result of unclear criteria used, the observer’s variability, and errors due to the instruments used. These errors affect the outcome and should be avoided. Observer’s variability problems can be avoided by adjustment of the study used, and making use of a large sample sizes. Sophisticated analysis and designs i.e. multiple regression and stratification) may serve to reduce measurement errors. References Axelson, O, (1999) Confounding From Smoking in Occupational Epidemiology. Retrieved on 18th March, 2012 from http// www.ncbi.nlm.go Bates, C (2010) baldness cure on the horizon while scientists’ nature world first hair follicle using stem cell. Retrieved on 1st March 2012 from http://www.gizmalg.com/hair-growths-signal-sources. Boehner, M. (2001). Nomenclature proposal for the zones and landmarks of balding scalp .Retrieved on 26th March 2012 from http//www.ncbi.nih.pubmed Calow, H (2009). Handbook of environmental Risks Assessment and Management. New York: John Willy and sons. Connie, S. (1999) Baldness and coronary artery disease: the dermatologic point of view of a controversial issue. Retrieved on March 2012 from http: //www. Arch Dermatol.com Chumlea, W. & Rhodes, T. (2004) Family history and risk of hair loss. Dermatology. Retrieved 3rd March, 2012 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Diepgen,T. Coenraad, P. (1999).The epidemiology of occupational. Retrieved on 3rd March, 2012 from http://www.osha/index.gov Gray, H. & Keen, W. (1987). Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical. New York: Lea Brothers and Company. Haneken, S (2005) Genetics variations in the human's androgen receptor genes are the main determining factor for common early-onset androgenetic alopecia. Retrieved on March 2012 from http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/160/2/165.pdf Mayrent, L (2000) Epediomology in medicine. Retrieved on 21st March, 2012 from http://www.amazon.com McDonald, N (2001) Epidemiology of work related diseases. London: BMJ Publishing. Pier, M. (2000). Air pollution and cardiovascular disease, Thrombosis. Retrieved on 2th March 2012 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article. Okuda, C. (2011) Baldness swap hair transplantation Initiative by Japanese dermatologist. Retrieved on 2nd March 2012 from http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/hair-transplants Rebora, A. ( 2004 ). Pathogenesis of Androgenetic Alopecia. Retrieved on 2nd March 2012 from http://www.Acad.Dermato.com Tjonnela, M. (1999). Nutritional Matters. Retrieved on 3rd March 2012 from http: www.ajcn.org. Read More