gobbledonk Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 I was told by an ambulance man that in my country (australia) that 1 in 3 men never reach retirement age. Cmon, Norfly, you know as well as I do that Australian men dont do a great deal to extend their lives : obesity (second only to the US - 3 cheers for us..), too much alcohol, smoking - you name it, and Aussie blokes are probably doing it to their internal organs as I type this. I'm no superfit health freak, but you dont have to be Einstein to see cause and effect in the stats. Yeah, I know everyone has a grandfather who smoked two packs a day and drank a carton of beer every week right up until they buried him at 96, but those people are the exceptions. We need to realise that too much of a good thing will kill you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Says artiew: Yeah, I know everyone has a grandfather who smoked two packs a day and drank a carton of beer every week right up until they buried him at 96 hey thats only 3 cans a day!!!!! I don't think that as many people smoke or drink as heavily as used to be the norm 20 years ago. I think maybe stress and lack of exercise are the biggies these days though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongatu Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Says Khun_Kong: Makes me realize how fast my last 16 years have gone. And the bad news is that the next 16 (or however many we get) are going to go by even faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwood13 Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Says chocolat steve: Supposedly he had a condition where he had a tear in in his heart. Slight tear that is supposed to be hard to detect. That is a scary thought! I think I'll call my HMO for a checkup Here's an article from the SF Chronicle re dissecting aorta. Another article indicates Ritter was taken to surgery. Aortic tear is a rare, often fatal medical disaster (09-12) 08:43 PDT (AP) -- A tear in the aorta, the heart condition that killed actor John Ritter, is a rare medical disaster that can strike without warning. The condition, called an aortic dissection, is a break in the main artery that carries blood from the heart. The lining of the aorta tears, separating -- or dissecting -- the middle layer of the vessel wall from the still intact outer layer. About three-quarters of these occur in people age 40 to 70, and the peak years are 50 to 65. Ritter was 54. About one-third of patients die within the first 24 hours, and half die within two days. Typically doctors treat patients in intensive care with drugs to reduce heartbeat and blood pressure. Surgery can sometimes repair the tear, although the risk is substantial. A variety of medical conditions can cause the artery wall to deteriorate, leading to the tear. The most common is high blood pressure. Others include inherited connective tissue disorders and birth defects. Symptoms usually begin with sudden severe chest pain. As the tear progresses, it can block off the points at which other arteries branch away from the aorta, stopping blood flow. This can trigger a stroke or heart attack, among other things, depending on which arteries are affected. Evidence of aortic dissection is found in between 1 percent and 3 percent of all autopsies. -redwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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