In many, many ways, Americans and Canadians are indistinguishable. But if you have cystic fibrosis, you'd probably prefer to be north of the border right about now.
That's because patients with cystic fibrosis live a noticeably longer time in Canada, up to 10 years longer than those in the U.S., according to researchers at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital.
The researchers noted three major factors in the difference: number of lung transplants, health insurance, and diet.
They added up to a huge gap. Studying data from the Canadian CF Registry and the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry from 2009–2013, they found that Canadians with CF lived to a median age of 50.9 years, compared to just 40.6 for Americans.
The Canadian patients were more likely to receive lung transplants due to different ways the two countries prioritize those on the transplant waiting list.
Canadian doctors have also promoted high fat diets, including cheese, fish, and nuts, for those with CF since the 1970s. The U.S. only started promoting a high fat diet for CF patients since the 1980s, so they're still catching up.
The biggest difference, however, was access to health insurance, with lower-income Americans and those who rely on Medicare and Medicaid at greater risk of dying.
Whereas for Canadians, who have universal healthcare, the bigger risk was living too far from a clinic or not being able to afford time off work. However, the researchers said more study would be needed to assess factors like air quality, medication usage, and pulmonary function.
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