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Asthma occurs in one in 11 children and in one in 12 adults. African Americans and Latinos have a higher risk for developing asthma than other groups.
The senior population grows every year. Seniors older than 65 years of age now comprise more than 13% of the total population. However, women outlive men. In the 85-and-over age group, there are only 45 men to every 100 women.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system destroys its own healthy tissues. When this occurs, white blood cells cannot distinguish between pathogens and normal cells.
Between 1999 and 2012, American adults with high total cholesterol decreased from 18.3% to 12.9%
Elderly adults are living longer, and causes of death are shifting. At the same time, autopsy rates are at or near their lowest in history.