Chronic conditions are the major cause of sickness, disability, and death in the United States. At least 100 million Americans have one or more chronic medical conditions and millions more will develop a chronic condition each year.
Projections indicate that by 2040, almost 160 million people will have a chronic condition. The cost for treating Americans with chronic conditions is expected to exceed $864 billion. 1
More than 75% of health care costs are due to chronic
medical conditions.
At least 25% of people with a chronic illness
experience significant limitations in daily activity.
The percentage of children and adolescents with a chronic health condition has increased from 1.8% in the
1960s to more than 7% in 2004.
No person is immune to developing a chronic condition. Men and women, people of all racial and ethnic groups, and individuals of all ages and financial means have chronic medical conditions. The extent to which chronic medical conditions affect people’s lives differs from person to person.
Patients with a chronic medical illness are not the only ones affected. Family members or friends may also have to modify their lives to help accommodate a patient suffering from a chronic medical condition.
Although chronic diseases are more common among older adults, they affect people of all ages. Evidence indicates that an effective approach to disease management and prevention will improve the lives of millions of people, patients and caregivers, while saving hundreds of billions of dollars annually in healthcare costs.
Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death, accounting for over 30% of all deaths in the U.S. each year.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death and claims more than 500,000 deaths annually in the United States.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic lower extremity amputations, and new cases of blindness each year.
- Less than 2% of adults with diabetes perform the full level of care, which includes self-monitoring of blood glucose and dietary restrictions as well as medication use, that is recommended by the American Diabetes Association. 2
Arthritis is the most common cause of disability for 19 million adults.
1. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (1996). Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, Princeton, New Jersey.
2. Beckles GL, et al. Population-Based Assessment of the Level of Care Among Adults with Diabetes in the U.S. Diabetes Care, 1998; 21: 1432-1438.
