..
While high blood P
a major he th threat for I U.S. eth­
nic grou , BI contract th di­
orderfarmoreoften,d velopitmu h
earlier in life, nd uffer de th or
ility from high blood pres ure­
ret ted disc e in far grea r propor­
tion tban white Americans.
AS A G OUP, African-
'Ameri ve tro d th rat
nearly twice high white. Th y
are up to five time likely to die of
chronic heart f ilure beca e of high
blood pre UTe. And high blood
pure-related ,kidney failure i up
to 18 time prevalent among
B c .
"The e rate are alarmingly
higber for Blacks than for white and
tOther ethnic group in Am rica,"
. ys Edward S. Cooper, M.D., who
took office last ummer a the first
Black president-elect of the AHA.
"The cardiova cular disease
death rate for Black males i 37 per­
cent higher tban for white male, and
it's 64 percent higher in Blac
females than in white females."
"Lack of knowledge about heart
cUsease or stroke i pernap one of
the greatest detriments to the Black
community, " he says. "It may be a
key reason for the wide racial dis­
parity of diseases that tump our
most renowned cientist."
The cause of the e differences is
not yet known, however, health offi­
cials cite veral pos ible re ons for
the e dangerous tatistics:
- Obe ity is a major problem
among BI c - e pecially among
Black women. By age 45, about 60
percent of Black women are obe e,
and evere overweight i a definite
contributor to high blood pre ure.
�---" 0" G n r.
Don't wait for your h ro
SFRACVSB N.Y. (A.P) -
Amerlams can't .wait for heroes to
develop AIDS before they start
paying at1enti�n to the disease, U.S.
Surgeon General Antonia C. Novel­
lo said recently.
Novello w in Syracuse to speak
at a luncheon hosted by the Onon­
dap County Medical Society. She
also dcliverc� the opening address
for the 75th anniversary of the
Syracuse University College for
Human Development
A day after tennis great Arthur
Ashe revealed he has AIDS, Novello
said the key to fighting the disea e is
prevention,
She said each day 130 more
people get infected with the mv
virus that causes AIDS. But it' im.:
portant to kno how and why.
"We should not wait just for
heroes to develop AIDS before
everybody catches attention," be
aid.
Novello defended the U.S.
government' efforts in battling the
di ease, aying "we have moved
fast as th epidemic bas moved. "
She aid 10 percent of the Nation­
al Institutes of Health budget goes to
AIDS re earch.
In 1991, the U.S. government
spent $4.2 billion on AIDS re earch,
h aid.
"We are trying to mo e
we can," he aid. "But no matter
The citi re Phil d lphia, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Lo Ang 1 • Memphi ,
Wa hington and Atlanta.
H omple ,
and there are no impli tic answers,
h alth authoritie empha ize. More
innovative education and ri k-reduc­
tion programs re vital if th toll
among Bl c i to b ignificantly
lowered, they ay, and 0 i more
research.
Secretary Sulliv n note th t the
NHLBI has just initi ted n exten­
ive re e reh program in Bl c and
developing better methods of treat­
ment.
"Th key to prevention i a public
that i both aware of ri k facto and
motivated to change behavior and
habits to improve health," Sullivan
y . "Ex deaths from he rt dis-
ea e- nd troke are potentially
preventable, but education cam-
paig must make . pecial efforts to
ensure that their m age reaches
nd ffects minoritie , including the
poor and the medically under­
erved."
For more information on high.
blood pre ure in Afric an-;
Americans, end a stamped, seli-ad-:
dres ed business size envelope to­
American Heart Association, Box'
NPA-A, 7320 Greenville Ave., Dal­
las, TX 75231.
St Louis neighborhood targeted
for research on elderly Blacks
to
how fast, there wi1J81ways be orne­
one who would always believe we
are not moving f t enough."
After Ashe announced that he got
AIDS from a blood tran fusion
during open heart surgery in 1983,
blood banks fielded calls from wor­
ried tmDsfusion recipients.
But official ay the blood upply
has become mar edly safer against
AIDS since M rch 1985, when
screening for the virus began.
Novello aid there i a one in
250,000 chance of acquiring AIDS
from a blood transfusion. She aid
it's more likely to be true by a car
cro ing the street.
If you drink alcoholic beverages,
do so in moderation. .
coholic bcv ,es supply calones
but ttlc 01 10 nutr nts. Dnnkln&
them hAS ) net hulth benefIt
is lIn ed WIth m ,h 11th pro ms. IS
the CIUse of many a".dents. and can
Iud to addiction. The.r consumption IS
not recommended If adults el Ct to
drink alcoholic bevera,e" they should
consum tMm in moderate amounts
WHAT IS MODERATE DRINKINGl
Women � Hen � .
. No more No more
• than I drink than 1 drInk.
ada, ad.,
I.Sounc •• o( � 120un, ••
di.tlll.d . o(
.plrlt. S ounce. r.6u/•r
('0 proof) o( win. b r
Some people should not drink
akohoHcbevel3ge� �------�--�
Heavy drtnken are often mal·
nourished bee au of low food
inuke and poor absorption of
nutri nu by the body. Too much alcohol
may Clllle cirrhosis of the liver. innam·
mat.on of the paner as. ctama, to the
brain nd heart. and increased rISk for
manycanc n
ome stud s �"e su"ested that
moderate drink In, is.hnked to
lower risk for "ea" attlcks
HOWC'VCr. drink in, is also It ed to hI' er
risk for hi,� blood pressure a�
hemorrha&ic stroke .
Individual. wit. c.nnot
If.., tit Ir dr'ttIr'''1
mOil ,..t •.
Thts II , IPffIll COtlC�
(or fff� ,lkoltok. Md
"..,. wIIoM (,mI, \.- . ---......J
�. ,.._ lIcoltol
�I
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A north id
neighborhood i targeted in a
federally lnanced tudy to find out
why elderly African Americans. uf­
fer from poorer health and more di -
abilitie than other ethnic groups.
Long-term purpo e 'of the tudy,
announced Tue day, i to find the
C8� of frailty - defined mus­
cular weakne or in tability in
w lking or standing - and way to
prevent it, officials said.
Earlierstudie howed 63 percent
of the people living in th tudy area
re between 70 and 79, with 37 per­
cent age 80 and older. For some 900
elderly African Americans living in
the 4 1/2- quare-mile area, the im-:
mediate effect of the new tudy will
be improved health care.
The St. Loui University School
o Medicine ha been awarded a $1
million, five-year grant from the Na­
tional In titute on Aging for the
tudy, which will be done in col­
. 1 boration with· the Community
Health-In-Partn hip Services.
RES .AR HER A Y the
work is of national ignific nc be­
cause 2.5 million African Americans
re 65 and older.
Dr. Dougla Mil r, an ociat
Marygrove
College awarded·
foundation grant
D TRorr-Marygrov
has been award d a grant 01 2 ,
from the Metro Health Foundation
(�F).
The award i de ignated for
Marygrove' Allied Health
Divi ion. It will be d to upport
the Metro Health Foundation
Leadership Achievement Scholar­
Ship 'Fund e tabli hed in 1990 for
financially needy p rsons intere ted
in earning a COllege degree in the
health profe ions.
The Allied HeaJ th Divi ion, e -
tabli hed in 1985, i the newe t
academic unit to th College. It of­
fers ociat degre pr gra.os in
Cardiova cular and Radiologi
Technology, Re piratory Car and
Diagno tic Medical Sonography,
and certificate pro�a in Medical
Clinical . ting. A four year pro­
gram in Allied Health w initiated
in the fall of 1987.
arygrove College, 10 .. ated in
Detroit at We t M i hoI and
Wyoming, w founded in 1925 a a
priv te, CathOlic, liberal ar olleg
with relevant empha i
preparation.
profe or in geriatric medlcin t St.
Loui University, aid th t in general
elderly African Americans 1 0 h ve
I acce to health care.
"With thi NlAgrant, we hope to
determin exactly what kinds of
frailty cau e older African
Americans the mo t difficultie and
find way to prevent or reverse th e
problems," Miller Said.
For 400 elderly African
American people thi year and
anoth r 400 to 500 next year, the
tudy will mean an in-depth inter­
view and phy leal examin tion in
their home, followed by help getting
any needed medical and ocial er�
vi and chec -up call every thr'eC
months.
"The excitement here i that this
community, which has been devoid
of primary care ervice for the
elderly for everal years, will now
have acce to orne of the best
health ervice available," said Dr:
Sheila Boyd, medical director of �
cans program.
. The first participants in the pro­
gram are being elected through
Medicare records, Miller aid.
12858 WOODWARD - Highland Park
, 865-5220
Pharmacy & Your Health
D.vtd N.
Zlmmarm8('l
po, FACA
Pr •• dent
edical rt
Pha macy
3700 Woodward
869- 800
herapy
The term chroni obstr live lun di ea e or COPO i a term which
refe to two condition - chronic bronchiti and emphy rna. While
OPD cann t be cured, airw y ob tru ti n can be relieved and quality of
life improved for m ny who uffer from thi condition. Thi can be
ccompli hed through proper nutrition, correct u e of medicine
in metered-d inh lers, d ppr pri exerci e.
are