Cancer Linked to Other Chronic Illnesses

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BlankCancer Linked to Other Chronic Illnesses

People With High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Heart Attack More Likely to Have

Cancer

By Warner

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by J. , MD

April 2, 2010 -- Having a heart attack or chronic illness may raise the risk of

being diagnosed with cancer, according to a new survey.

Researchers found that people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or

diabetes were about twice as likely to have cancer as healthy people without

these chronic illnesses.

In addition, the survey found that people who had suffered a heart attack were

nearly three times more likely to have a cancer diagnosis than those who hadn't.

The survey was conducted as part of the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index and

based on telephone interviews with more than 350,000 adults in the U.S.

conducted between Jan. 2- Dec. 30, 2008, and Jan. 2- Dec. 29, 2009. It has a

sampling error of no more than 1 percentage point.

The survey showed the relationship between a cancer diagnosis and the following

health conditions:

Health Condition

% Diagnosed With Cancer

High blood pressure

11.8

No high blood pressure

5.0

High cholesterol

11.7

No high cholesterol

5.3

Diabetes

12.7

No diabetes

6.4

Heart attack

18.1

No heart attack

6.5

The risk of developing any of these chronic illnesses increases with advancing

age, but researchers say the link between these illnesses and cancer remained

significant within every age bracket. The relationship between cancer and some

of the conditions, such as heart attack, were especially pronounced under age

45.

Researchers point out that the results do not necessarily mean any of these

chronic illnesses cause cancer, but they do show that cancer and chronic

conditions share many risk factors and may be interrelated.

For example, smoking cigarettes is a risk factor for both heart attack and lung

cancer, and cholesterol itself is not a cancer-causing substance but can enhance

the effects of other carcinogens in the body.

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