Spine problems come next. Back and spine problems caused disability in 5.7 million adults. Such problems should not be confused with paralysis; paralysis affects many fewer people. Back and spine problems include serious chronic stiffness or deformity of the back or spine. Paralysis of any kind represents the 14th leading cause of disability in adults. There were 716,000 people with some form of paralysis in 1991 and 1992.
Once we have dealt with arthritis, rheumatism, back, and spinal problems, we enter a group of disabilities that have a good deal to do with behavior — although unlucky genes cannot be discounted either. The heart exceeds the lungs in causing disability. High blood pressure disables more people than does diabetes. But all four of these conditions are high on the list of causes that disable us.
The adult causes of disability are most often related to aging, accidents or injury. Lung and respiratory problems are very often linked to smoking. Heart disease can also be traced back to smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet. Some people, of course, have genetic heart conditions. High blood pressure is a potentially disabling condition is frequently made worse — if not brought on — by bad diet, smoking, and lack of exercise. Unwise behavior builds up as we age. Eventually it presents some of us with a bill as we reach a certain age.
For children the situation is different. In the next panel we'll look at childhood disabilities.
Source: U.S. Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control, "Prevalence of Disability and Associated Health Conditions, United States, 1991-1992," Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, 1994, Volume 43, Number 40, available online at http//www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00033002.htm.
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