Diseases unlikely to have a single "magic bullet" cure, but often manageable, include many cancers (due to genetic complexity), Alzheimer's/dementia, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, HIV, and chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease, with focus shifting to long-term management, prevention, and slowing progression rather than total eradication.
Medical professionals call high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, the silent killer because it can go undetected for a long period of time and leads to death. Most people who have high blood pressure do not have any symptoms; testing is the only way to determine if someone has it.
Huntington disease is an inherited, neurodegenerative disorder. If a parent has the condition, each child will have a 50% chance of developing the disease.
Overview table. This first table gives a convenient overview of the general categories and broad causes. The leading cause is cardiovascular disease at 31.59% of all deaths.
Bacterial meningitis can progress quickly, causing the brain to swell and limbs to develop gangrene and sepsis, and can kill within 24 hours. Symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, vomiting and fever come on suddenly, and may be mistaken for other minor illnesses.
Both amlodipine and lisinopril are first-choice medications for lowering blood pressure. Amlodipine is often a good choice for older adults and people with salt-sensitive high blood pressure. Lisinopril may be better for people with diabetes, kidney disease, or heart issues.
Cancer and Major Cardiovascular Disease: As discussed in chapter 8, cancer and cardiovascular disease are the overall leading causes of death, and they are especially high reasons for death in middle and late adults.
Record numbers of men and women globally are now estimated to have reduced kidney function, a new study shows. Figures rose from 378 million people with the disease in 1990 to 788 million in 2023 as the world population grew and aged, making it for the first time a top 10 cause of death worldwide.
