Seeing illness coming down the track

We are blessed to live in the information age, and most of the people I know have become downright gladiatorial when it comes to fighting for their health.

One way to prevent the onset of serious illness is to see it coming down the tracks before the whistle blows. Thankfully, the medical community is on board. Increasingly they are identifying so-called "precursor diseases." These are preconditions that, if left unattended, could develop into full-blown illnesses that could be lethal.

They include metabolic syndrome, mild cognitive impairment (pre-Alzheimers), osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) and prehypertension. Let's take a look at two of them.

Prehypertension

Most of us by now are used to feeling dandy about our blood pressure if it remains at or below 140 (systolic) over 90 (diastolic).

No rest for the weary. A big consensus of experts have put into place stricter guidelines and have thus given birth to a new precursor illness. They have determined that it is the top number (systolic) that is the most important indicator of potential coronary artery disease. And if that number is not at 120 or below, one is at risk.

However, the risk is not insignificant. One big study found that prehypertension is responsible for 10 percent of deaths in the United States. They estimated that two thirds of folks 45 to 65 are afflicted by prehypertension. That number increases to 80 percent for those over 80.

Finding out you are prehypertensive can be a health saver as it gives you an opportunity to institute lifestyle changes before medicine is required. Studies show that losing as little as 10 pounds, reducing salt intake to 2,400 milligrams daily and taking a daily 30-minute walk can knock prehypertension out of the park for many.

Mild cognitive impairment

This is something my peers never forget about as they go about their day forgetting where they put their keys, or the name of their firstborn. It is a condition that describes the state between the normal forgetfulness of aging and full-on Alzheimer's disease.

The type of MCI that affects memory is the one that is of concern as it has been shown to convert to Alzheimer's disease at a rate of 15 percent per year. According to estimates, 20 percent of the over-65 set will have MCI, but only a third of that group will have the memory-related form of MCI.

Forgetfulness is a normal consequence of aging and doesn't usually get worse. But MCI can. Signs of MCI include repeating things in the same conversation, inability to track daily events, trouble learning new things and forgetting how to do things you are familiar doing.

Although no treatment for MCI is approved yet by the FDA, recently Aricept is being used with some effectiveness to delay the onset of Alzheimer's, though this remains controversial and many in the medical community are not convinced of its utility.

Nevertheless, I am sure all would agree that information can be of great utility. Among other things, it can help us to prepare for that often murky future.

But we need to keep in mind that information and understanding are two different things. Understanding information is something we often need help with. That's where qualified medical professionals are your friends: Talk to them.

If you are like me, you want to be ready ... or cancer or heart disease or whatever. In the next two weeks, I will continue to explore the increasingly astute warning signs that we have for those killers lurking in the shadows.

Health warriors, prepare.

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, is a clinical psychologist who lives and works in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.