Diabetes
More than 3 million Canadians suffer with Diabetes
Diabetes is a leading cause of death by disease. It touches millions in one way or another, whether it's those suffering with the disease, or their friends and family members.
Type I diabetes is one of the most common diseases of childhood. By the end of the decade, over 3 million Canadians will live with diabetes. This is increasing by 3 to 5 % annually. The greatest rise is in children 5 to 9 years of age. Canada has the 6th highest incidence rate of type l diabetes in children 14 years of age or younger in the world. Globally, diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death by disease.
Diabetes is a serious disease that impairs the body and can result in a variety of complications.
On the forefront in the fight against diabetes, JDRF drives many of the medical breakthroughs in the research to find a cure to help end the devastating effects of Juvenile Diabetes that strikes children and their families.
Please support us in helping fund Canada’s most renowned scientists and clinicians in the quest to win the battle against Diabetes.
Cancer
Cancer research in Canada and around the world continues to move us closer to the day when most cancers will be curable and others will be managed as chronic diseases like diabetes and asthma. Today, more than 60% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. This is a great improvement over the 1940s when the 5-year survival was about 25%. As our knowledge grows, we will make even greater progress against cancer.
Every six hours, a Canadian Child is diagnosed with cancer.
Brain & Mental Wellness
Dementia
A chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning.
It is a general overall term that refers to a set of symptoms caused by a variety of brain disorders affecting the brain. Physical changes in the brain cause dementia.
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia. It is irreversible and destroys brain cells, causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate. It is not a normal part of aging.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. It usually begins during adolescence or early adulthood. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation.
While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women.
There is a high rate of self-injury without suicide intent, as well as a significant rate of suicide attempts and completed suicide in severe cases.
Patients often need extensive mental health services, and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations. Yet, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead productive lives.
Most people who have BPD suffer from:
- Problems regulating their emotions and thoughts
- Impulsive and sometimes reckless behavior
- Unstable relationships
Incidence
- BPD affects 5.9% of adults at some time in their life
- BPD affects 50% more people than Alzheimer’s disease and nearly as many as schizophrenia and bipolar combined (2.25%)
- BPD affects 20% of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals
BPD affects 10% of people in outpatient mental health treatment
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a very rare disorder that is not yet well understood and is the term used to describe progressive brain degeneration likely caused by a history of brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic sub-concussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms. Experts are still trying to understand how head trauma — including how many head injuries and the severity of those injuries — and other factors might contribute to the changes in the brain that result in CTE.
This trauma includes both concussions that cause symptoms and sub-concussive hits to the head that cause no symptoms. At this time the number or type of hits to the head needed to trigger degenerative changes of the brain is unknown.
CTE is a neurodegenerative disease; like Alzheimer's dementia. CTE is not a clinical diagnosis. CTE can only be diagnosed after death. Doctors must conduct an autopsy to look for signs of brain tissue degeneration and a buildup of abnormal tau proteins. There is no current way to diagnose CTE in a living person.
Nearly 6% of the general population may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), new research suggests. Results from the largest and broadest study of CTE to date show that, although the highest rates of the disease are in athletes, a significant number of non-athletes have the neurodegenerative disorder.
CTE is a progressive, degenerative brain disease for which today there is no treatment and no cure. More research on treatments is needed, but the current approach is to prevent head injury. It's also important to stay informed about the latest recommendations for detecting and managing traumatic brain injury.
4 stages of CTE:
First-stage symptoms are confusion, disorientation, dizziness, and headaches.
Second-stage symptoms include memory loss, social instability, impulsive behavior, and poor judgment.
Third and fourth stages include progressive dementia, movement disorders, hypomimia, speech impediments, sensory processing disorder, tremors, vertigo, deafness, depression and suicidality.
Symptoms do not typically begin until years after the injuries and can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse over time and can result in dementia.
The symptoms of CTE include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, anxiety, suicidality, parkinsonism, and, eventually, progressive dementia. These symptoms don't develop right after a head injury, but experts believe that they might develop over years or even decades after the head trauma.
Symptoms have included: Difficulty thinking (cognitive impairment) Impulsive behavior. Depression or apathy.
Possible signs include:
- Memory loss
- Confusion
- Personality changes (including depression and suicidal thoughts)
- Erratic behavior (including aggression)
- Problems paying attention and organizing thoughts
Heart & Stroke
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