Cancer, Heart & Stroke
1 in every 2.5 women and 1 in every 2.2 men will have some form of cancer in their lifetime.
1 in 9 Canadian women will be stricken by breast cancer in her lifetime. Canada has the second highest rate of breast cancer in the world.
1 in 11 men and 1 in 18 women will develop lung cancer.
Every 4 minutes a Canadian is diagnosed with cancer.
The number of new cancer cases will increase by 50% over the next 20 years.
67% of costs associated with cancer treatment in Canada are not covered by any public health plan.
Survival rate of at least 5 years for cancer is currently 62%.
1 in every 3 women and 1 in every 2 men will contract some form of heart disease in their lifetime. The risk of developing cardiovascular disease after age 40 increases to 2 in every 3 for men and more than 1 in every 2 for women.
Survival rate in Canada is currently 80% for heart attacks.
Coronary artery bypass performed out of country, including a 7 day hospital stay, costs approximately $100,000.
1 in every 20 Canadians will suffer a stroke.
Survival rate is 85% for strokes.
Facts on Other Illnesses
Multiple Sclerosis
More that 50,000 Canadians have Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
MS is the most common neurological diseases among Canadians.
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world
MS is twice as likely in women as men
Parkinson’s Disease
30% of all Parkinson’s Disease patients in Canada are under age 50
20% of all Parkinson’s Disease patients are under age 40
Approximately 80-100,000 Canadians suffer from Parkinson’s
Paralysis
Over 30,000 Canadians suffer from paralysis of 2 or more limbs
The most common causes of spinal cord injury are car collisions and falls
Kidney Failure
Kidney Disease ranks 6th among diseases eventually causing death in Canada
Approximately 2,000 Canadians are on a waiting list for a kidney transplant
Each day an average of 8 Canadians learn that their kidneys have failed
Deafness
280,000 Canadians are deaf
1,200,000 Canadians are hard of hearing
There are more than 2,800,000 Canadians suffering from hearing loss
Occupational HIV
Approximately 4,400,000 Canadian care workers suffer 800,000 needle sticks and other injuries from sharp objects annually. An estimated 16,000 of these objects are contaminated with HIV.
Type 1 Diabetes
More than 3,000,000 Canadians have some form of diabetes
Over 300,000 Canadians live with Type 1 Diabetes
The number of people living with Type 1 Diabetes is increasing 3-5% annually with the great rise occurring in children age 5-9
Canada has the 6th highest incidence rate of Type 1 Diabetes in children age 14 years and younger in the world
Diabetes and its complications cost the Canadian economy more that $15,000,000,000 a year
Autism
Autism is now recognized as the most common neurological disorder affecting children and one of the most common developmental disabilities
Cerebral Palsy
Affects between 1 in 500 and 1 in 1,000 newborns
Lyme Disease
2,000 cases of Lyme Disease cases in Canada each year
West Nile Virus
In 2007 there were 2,353 clinical cases reported in Canada. The number is increasing since Canada first documented this virus in 2002, when151 cases were reported.
Other Facts
60% of Canadians are concerned about themselves of their family members getting a critical illness
79% of Canadians said that they would have to change their lifestyle if they became ill or were unable to work
52% of employed Canadians would use their retirement money and work longer than planned to deal with major illness costs
48% of home foreclosures are due to a serious illness or disability
$800,000,000 in retirement savings were liquidated in 2000 due to major illnesses
72% of Canadians recognize provincial governments are not able to pick up all the medical costs associated with a critical illness