All the Ways We Care: Taking on the Challenge of Chronic Disease

Chronic disease, defined as any medical condition that lasts more than three months, seems to be everywhere. About half of all American adults—117 million people—have at least one chronic medical condition. At age 65, those numbers increase dramatically. Approximately 92% of seniors have at least one chronic disease, and 77% have at least two. Chronic diseases are responsible for 7 of 10 deaths each year, and treating people with chronic medical conditions accounts for 86% of our nation’s healthcare costs.

When you’re dealing with a chronic illness, the last thing you want to do is add more stress by having to travel to an out-of-town medical facility. At Main Street Hospital, we’re equipped with the expertise, services and technology to help you treat, manage, control and, in some cases, even cure your chronic medical condition. Here’s a look at just six of the chronic diseases we treat on a daily basis.

High Blood Pressure

About 86 million Americans have high blood pressure. That’s one out of every three American adults over age 20. So you can understand why it’s a good idea to have their blood pressure checked on a regular basis, at least once a year. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, usually has no symptoms. That’s the reason it’s often calle-d the Silent Killer. As a result, you can suffer from hypertension for years and not even know it.

Treatment

• Medications
• Nutrition Counseling
• Excersize Programs
• Smoking Cessation

Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke and heart disease. At Main Street Hospital, we use the following tools and technologies to detect, treat and recover from high blood pressure.

• Angiogram
• Cardiac Catheterization
• Cardiac CT Scan
• Cardiac Rehab
• Cardiac Stress Test
• Chest X-ray
• Coronary Care Unit
• Echocardiogram
• EKG
• Pulmonary Function Testing
• Stress Echocardiography
• Vascular Studies
• 24-Hour Holter Set and Scan

Cancer

In 2017, there will be almost 1.7 million new cancer cases diagnosed in the United State and more than 600,000 cancer deaths. Fortunately, Main Street Hospital offers a full range of diagnostic technology to detect cancer and a variety of treatment options:

• Ultrasound
• MRI
• CT Scan
• X-ray
• (Digital) Mammography
• Colonoscopy
• Flexible Sigmoidscopy
• Fecal Occult Blood Test
• Pap Test

Treatment

• Surgery
• Radiation Therapy
• Chemotherapy

Diabetes

More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and almost 25 percent of the people who have the disease have not been diagnosed. Two simple tests can be used to see if you have diabetes:

• Fasting Plasma Glucose Test
• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

Treatment

• Diabetes self-management classes
• Nutritional counseling
• Insulin pump therapy
• Continuous glucose monitoring
• Weight management program

COPD (Chronic Destructive Pulmonary Disease)

COPD, the third leading cause of death in the United States, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breath. Its symptoms include shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and wheezing. Most people who have COPD are either smokers or former smokers. The two most common types of COPD are:

• Emphysema: Damage to the air sacs in the lungs makes it harder and harder to breathe.
• Chronic Bronchitis: The lining of the airways becomes constantly irritated and inflamed, causing thick mucus to form and making it hard to breathe.

Treatment

• Bronchodilators: Medications that help open the airways
• Steroids
• Oxygen Therapy
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation
• Pulmonologist on our medical staff
• Support for self-care including exercise programs, smoking cessation and diaphragmatic breathing

Arthritis

Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. The two most common types are:

• Osteoarthritis: This occurs when the cartilage that covers the ends of bones breaks down, eventually causing bone-on-bone contact.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease that attacks the lining of the joints.

Treatment

• Prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs
• Physical Therapy
• Joint Repair with Arthroscopic Surgery
• Joint Replacement Surgery especially for hips and knees
• Joint Fusion—used for smaller joints such as the wrist and fingers

Kidney Disease

Kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function over time. If not treated, it can reach an advanced stage where dangerous levels of waste build up in the body, eventually resulting in kidney failure and death.

Treatment

• Nutritional Counseling
• Vitamin Supplements
• Outpatient Dialysis
• At-Home Dialysis
• Kidney Transplant