GE Healthcare will be at RSNA 2008, the annual worldwide healthcare congress of the Radiological Society
of North America (RSNA), leading the growing debate around “Early Health”. It’s about re-thinking healthcare as we know it today; with a focus on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease detection and disease prevention – ultimately benefiting the patient.

Now here are just some of the compelling reasons in support of “Early Health”: Do you have more to add to the list?

1. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world; however, at least 80% of premature deaths from cardiovascular heart disease and strokes could be prevented.1
2. Alcohol, cholesterol and tobacco are the main risk factors driving disease incidence; all  3 of them are controllable by patients. 1
3. According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the world.  Mammography could potentially save 47,000 lives over a 14-year period in a population of 58 million women aged 40-74 (US study). 2
4. Early identification of Parkinson’s allows the potential for better outcomes and reduced costs: from $6867/year if diagnosed at Stage I to $34,659/year at Stage IV. 3
5. Colorectal cancer’s 5-year survival is 90% if detected at an early-localized stage; however, only 39% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this stage, mostly due to low rates of screening. After the cancer has spread regionally to involve adjacent organs or lymph nodes, the 5-year survival drops to 68%. For persons with distant metastases, 5-year survival is 10%.4
6. A 1% increase in survival rate from diseases like cancer would save €344 billion per year in Europe. 4
7. Osteoporosis, also known as "the silent crippler", usually lies undetected until it is too late to be effectively treated or managed. By 2050, the worldwide incidence of hip fracture in men is projected to increase by 310% and 240% in women.6
8. Between 1990 and 2020, deaths from non-communicable diseases and injury are expected to rise from 33 million to 58 million annually, with a similar proportional increase in years of life lost. By 2020, cardiovascular disease, injury and mental illnesses are predicted to be responsible for about one-half of all deaths and one-half of all healthy life years lost, worldwide.7    
9. As populations grow older and with the rising trend of obesity, cardiovascular disease is one area with an increasing need for earlier risk stratification.  It is an area in which implementation of the early health model today could have a significant impact on clinical outcomes, the cost-effectiveness of care and the quality of life of patients in the future. 8
10. About 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. Modern methods of detection and treatment mean that many prostate cancers are now found earlier and can be treated more effectively. 9

If we can redirect healthcare resources into developing better ways to predict, diagnose, treat and monitor disease while leveraging information throughout this continuum, we could have a much healthier population. Do we need to prove that a cancer-free life is a more productive life? Or should we act now?

Our teams travel the globe asking questions about emerging healthcare trends and innovations, and the challenges related to the transformation of healthcare delivery. Would you like to join the dialogue?
Would you like to read more about GE Healthcare at RSNA?

Please contact our Media Relations team.

Del.icio.us tags     Early Health  Early Diagnosis  Health Economics

Technorati tags   Health Economics  Early Diagnosis

References:
1-. World Health Organization
2-. Jemel A, Tiwari RC, et al.: Cancer statistics 2004. CA:Cancer L Clin 2004, 54:8- 29
3-. Dodel RC, Singer M, Köhne-Volland R et al. The economic impact of Parkinson's disease. Pharmacoeconomics. 1998; 14:299-312
4-. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures
5-. Kevin M. Murphy and Robert H. Topel. "The Value of Health and Longevity" Journal of Political Economy.
6.- http://www.iofbonehealth.org/#9
7.- International Cardiovascular Disease Stadistics www.americanheart.org
8..- Murray CJ, Lopez AD. Global mortality, disability, and the contribution of risk factors: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet 1997; 349: 1436-42.
9.- http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_prostate_cancer_36.asp
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