A Part of the Cost of Aging
The economic costs of age-related degeneration are staggering. Look at the numbers for just one small class of damaging events that occur after your body has accumulated a lifetime of unrepaired age-related damage: "Unless Americans do more to lower their risk of stroke and improve stroke care, the nation will pay $2.2 trillion over the next 45 years to care for people who suffer the most common form of stroke ... The $2.2 trillion estimate includes the cost of everything from ambulances and hospital stays to medications, nursing home care, at-home care and doctor's visits. They also include lost earnings for stroke survivors under age 65, based on current median salaries for each ethnic group. ... Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of serious disability. About 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, and 157,000 of them die." When is it time to start fixing the root causes that lead to this and worse?
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060817102406.htm