Heart disease and diabetes are significant health concerns among the homeless population in the United States. Homelessness exacerbates the risk factors and challenges associated with these conditions, leading to poorer health outcomes and increased mortality rates. This fact sheet provides an overview of heart disease and diabetes within the homeless community, highlighting key statistics, risk […]
Heart Disease Fact Sheet Read More >>
Diseases affecting the heart or blood vessels are highly prevalent among people experiencing homelessness. Among the cardiovascular diseases most commonly seen by primary care providers serving homeless individuals are hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides) and heart failure (impaired cardiac function, which often results from uncontrolled hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia). Metabolic syndrome—including hypertension,
Homelessness [and poverty] is rapidly escalating across North America and is associated with dire implications for public health and our health care systems. Both are compelling states of existence affecting all ages, ethnicities and both genders. Homelessness frequently evolves through a complex interaction of factors that are both internal and external to the individual themselves.
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among the Poor and Homeless—What We Know So Far Read More >>
Homeless adults are two-to-four times more likely to have hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, at younger ages, than either the general population or low-income adults with stable housing. Among the factors that increase their risk are poor diet and excessive use of alcohol, nicotine and other drugs that exacerbate elevated blood pressure and damage the
Hypertension & Homelessness: What Interferes with Treatment Read More >>
The interaction between housing and health is intimate and complex, yet little evidence exists with regard to the healthcare outcomes for people struggling to survive without housing. The study in this issue by Lee and colleagues not only exposes a resounding need for community-wide interventions to improve the cardiovascular health of homeless adults but also
Health, Housing and the Heart: Cardiovascular Disparities in Homeless People Read More >>
