European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bloating or diarrhoea. Lactose intolerance is easily diagnosed and treated. Treatment focuses on limiting the amount of Dairy products in the diet. It also is possible to add Lactase to the diet through tablets or foods that have the  minorities More prone to health problems by Janet do Agostino medical writer cancer High blood pressure and heart disease Are common but Blacks and other racial ethnic population minorities in the United states May suffer More and in different ways from these conditions. Black men Are twice As Likely As White males to die from a stroke and a hispanic baby born in new Mexico is twice As Likely As an Anglo baby to develop stomach cancer when he grows up. The Impact of Many of these problems can be lessened by changes in lifestyle such As losing weight or eating a balanced diet. But some of those health problems such As sickle cell anaemia and lactose intolerance Are caused by inherited factors. Here is a summary of health problems affecting minorities in the United states. The information is from the Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center in West Germany and the office of minority health resource Center in Washington . Lactose intolerance is the inability of the body to properly digest milk or milk products because Ili snot producing enough Lactase. Lactase is the enzyme which Breaks Down the sugar found in milk called lactose Many people Are lactose intolerant to some degree. Some May be Only mildly affected while others cannot tolerate any milk products without discomfort says or. Maj Julian Armstrong who specializes in disorders of the digestive system at the Lan Stuhl Hospital. The severity depends on How much Lactase producing ability the body has left. Groups particularly susceptible Are american indians asians Blacks people in countries on the Mediterranean jews Southern and Central europeans and Central and South americans. Among Black americans 75 percent to 95 percent will have some degree of lactose intolerance by age 65. Children under age five never suffer from lactose intolerance which tends to increase with age. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include Gas cramps sickle cell anaemia is inherited. Someone who has the disease has inherited a sickle haemoglobin Gene s from both parents instead of a Normal haemoglobin Gene a. They have haemoglobin is. Sickle cells Are misshapen red blood cells that look like a Quarter Moon or an old fashioned hand sickle. Normal red blood cells Are round or disk shaped. Normal haemoglobin a usually prevents the cells from becoming sickle shaped. Sickle cells May clog Small blood vessels and cause health problems says or. Maj elder Granger a specialist in cancer and blood disorders at Lan Stuhl. The most common problems Are anaemia delayed growth and development Eye problems gallstones jaundice leg sores episodes of pain serious infections and tiredness. Some people with the condition have More problems than others. The disease can cause death but people with sickle cell anaemia can have families work and live productive lives there is no cure. Treatment focuses on alleviating or trying to prevent associated problems. Having a single sickle cell Gene is not a disease. People who carry a single sickle cell Gene will not develop sickle cell anaemia Granger says. They Lead Normal lives and most have no medical problems due to the Gene. If problems such As blood in the urine do occur a doctor should be consulted. If two people with a sickle cell Gene have a child there is a one in four Chance that the child will have sickle cell anaemia. There is a 25 percent possibility of having a child with Normal haemoglobin and 50 percent Chance of a baby with a single sickle cell Gene. If one Parent has the sickle cell Gene and the other has Normal haemoglobin none of their children will have sickle cell anaemia. But there is a 50 percent Chance the children will have the single sickle cell Gene. Eight percent of Blacks in the United states latin America and the Caribbean have the sickle cell Gene. Heart disease and stroke is race a risk Factor in heart disease Quot absolutely Quot says or. It. Col Farley Neasman a cardiologist at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center. Recent studies show that among Blacks aged 20 to 64 there Are More deaths from coronary heart disease compared to Whites of the same age group according to the office of minority health resource Center. Black men Are almost twice As Likely to die from stroke As White men and their death rate from stroke is More than double that of other minorities. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke and their significance for Blacks and other minorities Are a High blood pressure is More common among Blacks than other groups though there is evidence this is slowly changing. Blacks and others with lower educational Levels and incomes tend to have higher blood pressures. Health experts Don t know Why. People of puerto rican cuban and mexican ancestry in the United states also Are More Likely to suffer from High blood pressure than Whites. A cholesterol Levels among Black and White adults Are about the same. Black men tend to have higher rates of the Quot Good cholesterol Quot which reduces cardiovascular risks. Mexicans especially Low income men have higher cholesterol Levels than the general population. A smoking a More Black men smoke than White men although Whites tend to be heavier smokers. A obesity a Black women tend to be More overweight than women in other groups. Obesity is much More common among mexicans especially women than the general population. These Are factors that can be controlled by getting regular medical checkups taking prescribed medication giving up cigarettes controlling cholesterol Levels keeping weight Down and exercising. Information on heart disease and strokes among Blacks and other minorities is based on studies done in the United states and May not necessarily apply to the military population in Europe which is composed of primarily Young healthy people Neasman said. Cancer cancer hits some minority groups especially hard. Wide gaps in cancer death rates Between minorities and non minorities were revealed in a report by a task Force on Black and minority health. The report found that Black men Are More Likely to die from cancer than any other group in the United . They have a 25 percent higher incidence of cancer than non minority men with More cancers of the lung oesophagus prostate stomach and pancreas. Certain minority groups Are at higher risk for certain types of cancer according to the report. For example Blacks have a higher incidence of lung cancer than Whites and hispanics from new Mexico have a higher incidence of stomach cancer. The incidence of lung cancer is 45 percent higher among Black men than among non minorities the death rate for cancer of the cervix is 2.5 times higher among Black women than among Whites. They Are also at higher risk for cancer of the uterus. Hispanics appear to be at increased risk for stomach and cervical cancer and cancers of the pancreas and  a special american armed Many of today s self made millionaires you Don t have to be a millionaire Tower assembled at Home. Afford Barrons though. I 1 m m now you can get you their manual Barrons the b b Barron s for Only $3.50 at National business amp financial w v v y0ur Oca it ars amp stripes weekly no serious investor can afford to be without. Vick up this week s Issue. Start assembling today also available from the same publisher the Wall Street journal Europe at your local stars amp stripes for Only $1, tuesday March 27,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 17