Getting What We Deserve: Health and Medical Care in America

Index [Includes About the Author]

127 6 aflatoxin, 23, 35 Africa: HIV/AIDS in, 20–21; polio outbreaks in, 17 AfricanAmericans:andglaucoma risk,30,111,112;lifeexpectancies of,109–12;low-birth-weight babiesbornto,111–12;and physicalactivity,112;andpneumococcaldisease ,113–14 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 65–66, 88 AIDS. See HIV/AIDS air pollution, 32, 34–35 Altman, Larry, 55 American Cancer Society, 66 American Heart Association, 66 angioplasty, 89, 90 Anthony, Jim, 32 antibiotics, 11–13 antismoking advocates, 42–45 Ashkenazi Jews, 29 aspirin, 67 asthma, 32, 41, 100 atherosclerosis, 37, 59 autism, 118n4 (chap. 6), 119n1 (chap. 7) Avastin, 96 avian influenza: pandemic of 1918–19, 12; recent outbreaks of, 22 bacterial pneumonia, 113–14 Bangladesh: obesity in, 45; population growth in, 4, 6; smallpox epidemic in, 16 Barker, David, 35–36 Barré-Sinoussi, Françoise, 117n4 behavior, difficulty of changing, 50–53, 118n6 Bergman, Ingmar, 115n1 Index 128 Index Bernie, Leroy, 42 Berry, Donald, 72 beta blockers, 119n1 (chap. 8) beta-carotene, 58, 60 bifurcated needles, 14, 15 bird flu. See avian influenza birth control pills, 72 Black Death, 2, 12, 115n1 Bloomberg, Michael R., 43–44, 45 Blue Cross/Blue Shield, 75, 94–95 Botox injections, 96 breast cancer: death rates from, 38–39, 40; and genetic risk factors , 29; screening for, 71–72, 100 Brody, J. H., 107–8 bronchitis, 40 Brownell, Kelly, 36, 53 bypass surgery, 89, 90 calcium, 61 Canada, health care system in, 88–89 cancer: cervical, 23–25; colon, 59, 96; death rates for men, 41; death rates for women, 39–40; infection as factor in, 22–25; liver, 23, 35; stomach, 23, 27. See also breast cancer; lung cancer capitation, 84–85, 86 cardiovascular disease: and smoking , 40; stroke’s risk factors, 31. See also heart disease cataract surgery, 85, 86 causality, complexity of, 32–36, 57–58 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 45, 65 Centers for Healthcare Research and Quality, 88 Cerezyme, 96 cervical cancer, 23–25 cesarean section, 86–88 children: diseases in, 6, 11; and obesity, 36, 45; and risks from cold medicines, 69 China, population fluctuations in, 2–3 chondroitin sulfate, 60–61 clinical guidelines, 83–84, 106 Coca-Cola, 36 colon cancer, 59, 96 co-payments, as factor in health care delivery, 100 cortisol, 33 cowpox, 14 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, 22–23 C-section, 86–88 death: in early childhood, 4, 5; median age of, 4, 5. See also life expectancy dermatologists, 96 diabetes, 31, 49, 51, 121n1 diarrhea, 11 Dickens, Charles, 35 diet and nutrition, 118n4 (chap. 5); cultural differences in, 111, 121n1; as factor in health and illness, 27, 45–52; fads in, 64 diphtheria, 11 disease: causes of, 10–11, 32–36; Index 129 fetal origins of, 35–36; infectious , 11–13; prevention of, 85; racial variations in risk of, 29, 30. See also specific diseases doctors. See physicians Doll, Richard, 42 drugs: competitive pricing for, 105–6; insurance coverage for, 120n5. See also pharmaceutical companies early childhood diseases, 6, 11 Eaton, Bill, 32 emergency rooms, 99–100 emphysema, 40, 41 endocrine disrupters, 35 England, health care rationing in, 89–92 environment, as risk factor, 34–36. See also living conditions evidence-based medicine, 67–72, 106 exercise, 112 experience rating, 95 family planning, 6 Farr,William, 84 Fertility Diet, 62–63 fertility rates, 6 fetal monitoring, 86–88 fiber, 59 finasteride, 68 folic acid, 59 Food and Drug Administration, 65, 68 Frenk, Julio, 10 Frieden,Tom, 43, 53 Frist, Bill, 72 gastritis, 23 Gates, Bill, 45 Gaucher disease, 96 Genentech, 96–97 genes, as factor in health and disease, 26–31, 110 genetic screening, 29–30 Genzyme, 96 germs. See infection; microbes glaucoma, 30, 85, 111, 112 hair loss, 68 Hausen, Harald zur, 117n6 health: diet as factor in, 27; educating the public about, 52–53; genes as factor in, 26–31; living conditions as factor in, 6–9; obesity as factor in, 45–52; smoking as factor in, 27–29, 83–45; social and economic factors affecting, 109–10, 112–13, 119–20n2; social status as factor in, 33–34, 113 health care: in Canada, 88–89, 102; co-payments as factor in, 100; disparities in, 80, 108, 109–14, 121n1; measuring quality of, 77– 79; overall benefits of providing , 101–3; as a public good, 101; rationing of, 89–92; in the United Kingdom, 89–92; universal , 79, 100–103, 107. See also public health 130...