Local pains of the British ails
WHERE you live can point to how you’ll die – and what will make you sick.
Britain has one of the world’s highest rates of multiple sclerosis – and research shows the further north you are, the higher your risk.
It is thought to be down to a mix of genetic and environmental factors, including low levels of sun and vitamin D.
A study shows that for every ten degrees higher in latitude you live, symptoms will show up to ten months earlier.
The Orkney Islands is the world’s MS hotspot – with one in 170 women suffering from the disease, which affects the spinal cord, brain and nerves.
And MS isn’t the only health issue linked to where you live... HEART DISEASE Glaswegians are most likely to die prematurely from heart disease, according to stats from the British Heart Foundation.
The rate of deaths under the age of 75 from cardiovascular disease was 127 per 100,000. Manchester, where the death rate is 123 people per 100,000, is the heart disease capital of England. Smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and lack of exercise are all causes. SUICIDE Preston has the highest suicide rate in the UK.
Data from the Office For National Statistics showed there were 18.6 suicides a year in the town for every 100,000 between 2012-14, which is twice the national average. Middlesbrough was second. Factors in Preston might include a high student population, unemployment and deprivation. OBESITY Being morbidly obese can kill – and Wirral, Merseyside, has been shamed as England’s fat capital.
People living there are three times more likely to be obese, with Cornwall in second place. CANCER The North East is the cancer hotspot of England.
An average of 637 people per every 100,000 were diagnosed with cancer in the region compared to 598 nationally.
Smoking, bad diets and high obesity levels have been linked to cancer. BREAST CANCER There are higher rates of breast cancer in parts of the Midlands and in north west Scotland, according to Cancer Research UK. Obesity and alcohol could be factors. LUNG DISEASE The British Lung Foundation’s Battle For Breath report revealed deaths from smoking-related lung disease were highest in the north of England and Scotland. COPD and lung cancer can be explained in part by higher rates of smoking, greater exposure to air pollution and workplace dusts and chemicals. SKIN CANCER Cases of skin cancer in south-west England have dramatically increased, Cancer Research says.
Some 1,500 people develop malignant melamona in the region each year. Warmer weather and more time outdoors are factors. LIFE EXPECTANCY People in Glasgow can expect to die the earliest. Life expectancy is 72.6 years for men and 78.5 for women.
Lower income is linked with poorer health and shorter lifespan but vitamin D deficiency, cold winters, high stress levels and social alienation in Glasgow have also been blamed. STI Londoners have the most sexually transmitted infections, accounting for a quarter of all cases in the UK.
Gonorrhoea and syphilis are on the rise due to unsafe sex, overlapping partners and a lack of regular screenings.