Is cancer overtaking cardiovascular disease as the main driver of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality : New Zealand ( 1981-99 )?
CVD mortality has declined at all income levels and so too has the contribution of CVD to mortality inequalities. Concurrently, the contribution of cancer to inequalities in mortality by income has increased and, in women at least, is now greater than the contribution of CVD. It is hypothesised that a similar crossover is occurring in other populations where CVD mortality has declined, although socioeconomic differences in the distribution and effect of the obesity epidemic for CVD may ensure its continuing importance. Prevention efforts aimed at reducing socioeconomic inequalities in mortality will need to increasingly focus on socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality.
These cases are presented to characterize this "flare" reaction, and to inform health care providers that efalizumab can still be administered after disease flare, and again may be a successful therapy.