Popular Diseases

Is it just my idea, or have some diseases become more and more "popular" over the past decades?  Please note I'mtalking here from a general point of view of the industrialized world, not just the US.

In the late 60s, the 70s and the 80s it was all about cancer.  Now, although more and more products are allegedly causing cancer, fewer casus of cancer seem to appear.  While the past decades have seen an increase of people suffering from fybromialgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome whereas these two conditions, for example, were virtually unknown 20 - 30 years ago.

Samething with depression and anxiety.

Aren't people often diagnosed according to the latest "cool" syndrome, or are such syndromes not often added as a bonus to an existing medical condition?

Serious pain makes you suffer, sweat, etc.  Doing work on top of the pain is going to exhaust your body.  Does that mean that you're suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?  And, when life is hard and cruel and you're in a lot of pain, isn't it a bit normal you feel down?  But do you really have a depression?

I have my doubts about what we call here in Belgium "Popular Diseases".  These conditions exist, clearly, but aren't too many people labelled with, people who then bear the stigmata of a wrong diagnose.

I'd like your opinions on this, especially in the context of chronic pain.

I don't think there is one simple answer to this either. However, one thing that does bother me alot is the pharmaceuticals spent more money last year on advertising than on research. Something wrong with that picture in my opinion.

I read recently the FDA is going to require the pharmaceuticals to revamp their advertising practices, thats long overdue. I found it quite interesting that the FDA had fewer requests for new drug approval last year than in years past. So far this year its been the same.

I think its great that dr offices will give patients samples of medication. But, I do have a problem with drs that use the flavor of the month when prescribing these free meds because the drug rep just left a new batch of something new to give out. Because of the kickbacks involved to the drs and clinics we need some kind of control in place between the drs & pharmaceuticals to elminate this practice.

Last of all and then, I will shut up, as seen with the Phen-Phen cases, key employees gave memos and spoke directly to the higher ups in the company that the drug was dangerous and had a very high propencity to cause pulmonary hypertension leading to serious heart problems including death. They ignored this because it was such a money maker for them. All of the above came out in court depositions and under oath admitted they ignored the warnings from their people. Phen-Phen was taken off of the market in England 2yrs prior to the USA taking it off the market. As in many cases we seem to be the one to remove dangerous drugs from the public, why???

Susie

Fibromyalgia is not a new condition.  It has been around for a very long time.  It wasn't always called fibromyalgia.  Years ago it was called fibrositis and for years and years before that it was called rheumatism.  Only recently has it been acknowledged by the AMA as a true condition called fibromyalgia.

While I was doing a literature search for an article that I read many years ago that addresses exactly the issue that Morgath brought up on this thread (basically it claimed that defining what is an "illness" is in the hands of contemporary society - that is what we think of an illness today was not considered so years ago, and vice versa) I found this abstract about how the idea of obesity in the US becoming an "epidemic" occurred:

"Americans' recent weight gains have been widely described as an "obesity epidemic." Such a characterization, however, has many problems: the average American weight gain has been relatively low (eight to 12 pounds over the last 20 years), and the causal linkages between adiposity, morbidity, and mortality are unclear. Nevertheless, the media and numerous health officials continue to sound dire warnings that obesity has become an epidemic disease. In this article, I examine how and why America's growing weight became an "obesity epidemic." I find the disease characterization has less to do with the health consequences of excess weight and more with the various financial and political incentives of the weight loss industry, medical profession, and public health bureaucracy. This epidemic image was also assisted by the method of displaying information about weight gain with maps in PowerPoint slides. Such characterizations, I argue, are problematic. Given the inconclusive scientific evidence and the absence of a safe and effective weight loss regimen, calling America's growing weight an epidemic disease is likely to cause more harm than good."

Cited from: The politics of pathology: how obesity became an epidemic disease. Oliver, J Eric. Perspectives in Biology & Medicine. 49(4):611-27, 2006.

I think that this is a good example of the type of phenomenon that Morgath was getting at (?)...

Basically what I have read in my literature search on this topic seems to indicate that much of the "disease of the year" hype is mainly the result of increased attention by the media (print, audio and internet). But what is fueling the increased attention there is not as clear. I agree that it is most likely pharmaceutical companies - either overtly or subtly.......and probably patient advocacy. Some of it is from pure clinical research - I think the example of Crohn's disease mentioned above is a good one - when it was first described most physicians thought it was another one of those modern illnesses caused by "stress" that is, a "functional" disease. As research progressed an organic cause was found, thus making it "legit" (this is not my personal viewpoint - that is needed to be legit)...Ulcers is another example - it went from being thought of purely as caused by stress to having an infectious component. Although it may seem cynical to put the blame on drug companies, I think that is also an effect of the medical community as a whole. As we know from first hand experience, doctors and surgeons are reluctant to treat an illness that doesn't have a clear cut therapy, cure, treatment. So there is pressure on drug companies by patient advocacy groups to come up with a pill or implement (prothesis) which makes the medical profession more excited about treating.

Like most issues in social medicine this is very complex; it goes to the basic conundrum of what, exactly defines disease and health. If you read the bioethics literature there is a large amount of discussion on just this issue: is disease the absence of health? is health the absence of disease? and at what point does a deviation from "normal" health morph into "disease"? Because what one generation accepted as perfectly normal health our generation regards as disease....how does this transform and who directs this transformation? All very deep, complex and interesting aspects to contemplate.......

Oh just wanted to make sure everyone knew when I was saying "common sense" to know something it didnt come out as I intended and actually sounds rude. I so didnt mean for it to sound that way!

Thanks PAlady..I'm glad I'm making some sense. Sometimes I get so tired I dont even understand my own thoughts!

I do hope that everyone who doesnt have a daignosis yet will get answeres soon as maybe there is an unheard of condition that is just gaining attention or will soon.
I watch Mystery Diagnosis and Diagnosis x on the Discovery Channel all the time and cant even believe some of the stuff that gets dianosed. Things that no one has ever heard of!
Sometimes watching TV is a great thing!