JANUARY 2015 HEALTH OBSERVANCES

January is National Birth Defects Prevention month, as well as; National Glaucoma Awareness Month, National Radon Action Month, and National Thyroid Awareness Month.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Every 4 ½ minutes, a baby is born with a major birth defect in the United States. They are a leading cause of death among U.S. infants, accounting for about 20% of mortality in the first year of life. In addition, babies born with birth defects have a greater chance of illness and long term disability than babies without birth defects. January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, a time to focus on raising awareness about the frequency with which birth defects occur in the United States and of the steps that can be taken to prevent them.  While not all birth defects can be prevented, there are things a women can do get ready for a healthy pregnancy.

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month , an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease. Currently, more than 2.7 million people in the United States over age 40 have glaucoma. The National Eye Institute projects this number will reach 4.2 million by 2030, a 58 percent increase.Glaucoma is called “the sneak thief of sight” since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Moreover, among African American and Latino populations, glaucoma is more prevalent. Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African Americans than Caucasians. Over 2.7 million Americans, and over 60 million people worldwide, have glaucoma. Experts estimate that half of them don’t know they have it. Combined with our aging population, we can see an epidemic of blindness looming if we don’t raise awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations to preserve vision. The World Health Organization estimates that 4.5 million people worldwide are blind due to glaucoma.

This January is National Radon Action Month. This is a campaign focused on the U.S. but it is also one with a global scope. The awareness campaign is designed to educate people and to promote improved safety measures. The reason why a national awareness event is staged is due to the concerns with radon gas levels in the U.S. Radon gas (more properly known as radon-222) is arguably becoming more of a widespread problem in many parts of the industrialized world. In the U.S., it is estimated that one in 15 homes are affected by elevated radon levels. Radon is a radioactive gas, it cannot be seen, smelt or tasted. Furthermore, special equipment is required to detect it. Radon escapes easily from the ground into the air, where it decays and emits radioactive particles. Radon can invade homes and buildings through foundation cracks and openings. The gas can also directly penetrate through concrete. This means that in some areas radon is a problem that potentially affects millions of homes, schools, and other buildings.

Radon is the product of the indirect decay product of uranium or thorium. As radon decays, it produces new radioactive elements termed decay products. Radon breaks down (decays) into solid radioactive elements called radon progeny (such as polonium-218, polonium-214, and lead-214). Unlike the gaseous radon itself, these so-termed “radon daughters” are solid particulates and they can affix to surfaces, such as dust particles in the air. Radon gas is considered a carcinogen. It is arguably the primary cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and causes people that do smoke greater chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer when exposed to this deadly gas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests levels of 4 (pCi/L) picocuries and above are addressed by local authorities. Levels of 4 pCi/L is equivalent to eight cigarettes a day or 250 chest X-rays per year. The curie is unit of radioactivity, it measures the ate of radioactive decay. A picocurie is a way of measuring low levels of radioactive decay. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that between 3 percent and 14 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by radon, and suggest people take action against levels higher than 2.7 pCi/L. The purpose of National Radon Action Month is to educate people about the health risks of radon. It also encourages people to learn about radon gas, and to inform people about how to test their homes for radon and what actions need to be taken if there are high levels of radon present.

 This January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Thyroid disease affects approximately 200 million people worldwide, and if left undiagnosed and untreated it can cause conditions such depression, tremors, muscle weakness and constant fatigue. Experts at the Head and Neck Institute at Mount Sinai Health System encourage the general public to perform regular thyroid neck self-exams. “The thyroid is responsible for producing hormones that help the body regulate its metabolism. When not working properly it can cause the body’s system to speed up (hyperthyroidism) or slow down (hypothyroidism),” says Marita Teng, MD, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Head and Neck Institute at Mount Sinai. “Furthermore, although the vast majority of thyroid nodules are benign, some can be cancerous and require examination and workup.”
According to Dr. Teng, examining your neck can in some cases help you find lumps or enlargements that may point to thyroid conditions, including nodules, goiter and thyroid cancer. Because many symptoms of thyroid imbalance may be hard to recognize and can mimic other conditions, the best way to know for sure is to discuss with your doctor the role of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) testing, a simple blood test that measures whether your thyroid gland is functioning normally. Making sure that your thyroid gland is healthy is important to your body’s overall well-being.