Epidemiological cohort Mauco is already yielding results and they are worrying
- GO SEVEN THOUSAND 500 MOLINENSE EXAMINED AND ARE 10 THOUSAND IN TOTAL
- The project aims to learn about cardiovascular health, respiratory, level of fat, sugar, muscular State, lifestyles and psycho-social aspects and environmental population.
Journalist: Journal Center – Date of Edition: November 25, 2017
TALCA.- The project Mauco is an x-ray to 10 years on the health of Chileans, that will allow to learn how develop chronic diseases that today affect our population.
This is the third consecutive year that the Center for advanced chronic diseases, ACCDiS , It develops the epidemiological study in the commune of Molina, Maule region, and it is considered a period of 10 years. However the term, the academic and health institutions have already practiced tests to seven thousand 500 maulinos, 10 mil which is the overall objective.
Dr. Catterina Ferreccio, Project Director, indicated in the connection: "We have had a high participation and citizen involvement. Thanks to this, We know what the safe blood sugar and blood pressure level, and calculate the risks of diseases and serious events such as hospitalization or death for anyone in Chile, based on the data we are collecting".
The study population are men and women aged 38 to 74 of this commune, those who have been examined by a multiprofessional team, with that consider measurements of size, circumference of waist, neck and ankles, electrocardiogram, abdominal ultrasound, neurocognitive tests, medical history, condition and physical strength, muscular State, fat percentage, and measurements of blood, among other indicators including psychosocial aspects and environmental.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The preliminary results and progress of this study were presented recently at the Municipal Theater of Molina, in the framework of the Conference "Mauco, community and health". The activity featured the participation of Dr. Ferreccio, who unveiled some baseline data research. In both, the doctors of ACCDiS, Claudia Bambs and Andrea Huidobro, they conducted a talk on cardiovascular health and healthy eating, respectively, aimed at improving the quality of life in the population.
"Within results, one of the concerns is still positive energy balance. This means that the community consumes more calories that you spend, for the most part, from food that is unhealthy. For this reason, people accumulate fat that is not of good quality and there is a picture of metabolic chronic inflammation, that favors the development of diabetes and hypertension, among other relevant health problems", said Ferreccio.
In relation to the baseline data, obtained through surveys, test and various tests, It was determined that 92% of the population in Molina does not or has very low physical activity, According to the standards of measurement. "It's a very high rate of physical inactivity. But this could change, If each person perform half an hour a day of walking", added Director.
It was also determined that hypertension affects 46% of men and 38% of women; 14% of the cohort to suffer diabetes and 48% of the population has fatty liver. All these data concern to researchers and push to make substantial changes at the level of prevention and lifestyles. "The tobacco, unhealthy food, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption, they are the four villains of our health. In fact, lifestyles are responsible for cause 80% of chronic pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes", said Claudia Bambs, UC physician and researcher of ACCDiS.
OTHER PROBLEMS
In addition, 48% of the population surveyed showed respiratory problems, While only 5% of them perceived symptoms. "The cohort population smokes less than the Santiago, for example, but they have smoke of firewood and land pollution. So we are studying these factors and probably, in the coming months, we can begin to publish some results about it", said Dr. Ferreccio.
On the other hand, 70% of respondents reported having some type of digestive discomfort, figure was also considered high by scientists and physicians of Mauco. It should be noted that digestive problems are enough individuals in this population, but they also correspond to a common symptomatology in Chile, that it may be related to diet and alcohol consumption. This is worrisome, Since it predisposes to the development of vesicular diseases, reflux, fatty liver, lithiasis, obesity and chronic diseases. In addition, high sugar consumption and intake of sugary drinks by 22% of the respondents stand out.
Karin Lillo