Health life expectancy

Health Life expectancy (years) and expectancy of good or fairly good health (GB)... 

Cross-comparing the risks of various activities is difficult because of the lack of a common basis of comparison, however Cohen and Lee, 1979 provide such a comparison on the basis of loss of life expectancy. Solomon and Abraham, 1979 used an index of harm in a study of 6 occupational harms - three radiological and three nonradiological to bracket high and low estimates of radiological effects. The index of harm consists of a weighting factor for parametric study the lost time in an industry and the worker population at risk. The conclusions were that the data are too imprecise for firm conclusions but it is possible for a radiation worker under pessimistic health effects assumptions to have as high index of harm as the other industries compared. 

The second approach estimates the monetary value to individuals and society of health and social well-being and life per se. In practical terms this requires assessment of the amount of money which individuals would accept as compensation for reductions in health or life expectancy, or the amount they would be prepared to pay for improvements in health or life expectancy. The methodology for this approach is still being tested and developed. 

For centuries, there have been many records in China relating to the health benefits of drinking tea. People have believed that tea can stimulate thought processes and mental alertness increase blood flow clear the urine and facilitate its flow prevent tooth decay increase the body s power of resistance to a wide range of diseases and prolong life expectancy. However, these claims were primarily anecdotal. It is only in the last few decades that the health benefits of tea are beginning to be demonstrated from a scientific perspective. Numerous recent reports on tea and human health have been examined and this chapter gives a brief review of certain aspects of current research. 

Amphetamine Clinically used for narcolepsy (sudden day-time onset sleep) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) formerly used as a short-term slimming agent, as an antidepressant and to boost athletic performance recreational use widespread tolerance develops readily highly addictive regular users suffer many health problems and a reduced life expectancy amphetamine psychosis may develop, with similar symptoms to acute paranoid schizophrenia. 

The evident biological changes related to menopause elicit a feeling of vulnerability in women that makes them more receptive to measures aimed at detecting or preventing risk situations and, consequently, improving health status and life expectancy. This opens an opportunity window that must be used to enhance the introduction of a new lifestyle and reinforce the acceptance of pharmacological preventive measures when needed. 

A polymorphism can be a risk factor for an individual s health or life expectancy without impairing its reproduction. This appears to be the case for many common human diseases, which manifest themselves only after the generative period, so that evolutionary selection against such a trait cannot be operative. 

The HIV / AIDS pandemic in the world has quickly evolved from a major health issue to a complex international emergency that undermines the social and economic fabric of nations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where decades of developmenf have been reversed. In this region, nearly all the gains in life expectancy that have been made since 1950 have been wiped out. The epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region, while years behind the sub-Saharan Africa pandemic, is on a trajectory that may take it to the same point. 

Life expectancy in the United States increased markedly during the twentieth century, from about 46 years old in 1900 to about 76 years old in 2000. There are many reasons for the addition of three decades to the average duration of life. Among them are better public health measures, healthier lifestyles (better diets, more exercise, avoidance of tobacco, moderation in the intake of alcohol), availability and use of vaccines. 

Furthermore, health policy makers in Europe and Canada can point to widely respected statistics gathered annually by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to which the United States ranks remarkably low in the OECD on many standard health status indicators, such as the infant mortality rate, life expectancy at birth and at age 60, and potential years of life lost per 100,000 population, that is, life... 

Canada, not in terms of increased life expectancy, but in terms of dollars. We find, as have previous studies, that pharmaceutical spending is a worthwhile investment with high rates of return, and that to restrict access to new pharmacological treatment would deny the next generation valuable increases in health outcomes. 

The demographic shifts in life expectancy gains further complicate any analysis of the sources of longer life. To identify the specific role of pharmaceuticals in this remarkable trend, we focus on empirical research based on data from the last 20-30 years. The role of pharmaceutical products is not obvious, however, because of simultaneously increased average income, decreased poverty, greater and faster access to medical facilities, and improved training for health professionals, all of which combine with access to new and improved pharmaceutical products to yield longer life. 

The paper by Cochrane, St. Leger, and Moore (1978) typifies the issues associated with many early studies. Specifically, they relied on cross sections with multiple countries and often limited the analysis to simple correlations. Because determinants of life expectancy are multifactorial, national studies are more likely to detect differences than international studies. It is also critically important to include adequate control variables. In fact, a later study (Cremieux, Ouellette, and Meilleur 1999) based on extensive national data suggests that a 10% increase in health care spending reduces infant mortality by 0.5% for males and 0.4% for females while increasing life expectancy by half a year for males and three months for females. The current study uses similar modeling and data hence, results on the effect of pharmaceuticals reported below can be put in perspective relative to the overall effect of health care spending from that earlier research. 

---