What is Chronic Disease?
Chronic diseases are ongoing, generally incurable illnesses or conditions. Chronic diseases are often preventable and frequently manageable through early detection, improved diet, exercise, and treatment therapy. Sometimes chronic diseases lead to premature death.
Some of the most prevalent and costly chronic diseases include arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular (heart) disease, depression and diabetes, though these are only a few of many illnesses that negatively impact the lives of Americans.
Arthritis
The term ‘arthritis’ refers to more than 100 different diseases that affect areas in or around joints. Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems and the nation’s leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15. Over 46 million Americans (nearly 1 in 5 adults) have arthritis. The direct medical costs of arthritis cost Americans $81 billion each year, though the Arthritis Foundation estimates the full impact on the economy to be closer to $128 billion. More than half of adults with diabetes or heart disease also have arthritis, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the presence of arthritis can complicate management of these chronic conditions by presenting an additional barrier to healthier lifestyles, such as increased pain during physical activity.
Asthma
Asthma is a disease of the lungs in which the airways become blocked or narrowed, causing breathing difficulty. This chronic disease affects nearly 20 million Americans, including 9 million children under the age of 18, and accounts for approximately 24.5 million missed work days for adults annually, according to the American Lung Association. Asthma can't be cured, but it can be controlled so that people with asthma have few and infrequent symptoms and can live normal, active lives. Scientists don't know what causes asthma, but some believe that smoking and obesity may be linked to the disease.
Cancer
Cancer can be any of a number of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Many cancers can be removed, but, if the spread is not controlled, it can result in death.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) estimates that currently a little more than 10 million Americans have some form of cancer. In addition, SEER estimates that 45% of men and 38% of women are at risk of developing cancer at some point over their lifetimes.
A report from the nation's leading cancer organizations found that, while the rate of new cancers remains stable, Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to drop, maintaining a trend that began in the early 1990s.
Cardiovascular (Heart) Disease
Heart disease, as a category, encompasses several specific cardiovascular conditions, including acute rheumatic fever, chronic rheumatic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, coronary heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, and congestive heart failure. The most prevalent form in the U.S. is coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack.
The CDC reports that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States, at almost 700,000 people each year, or 29% of all U.S. deaths.
In addition, the American Heart Association estimates that, in 2004, 79.4 million Americans were living with one or more forms of cardiovascular disease.
Depression
Depression is a serious disease that affects more than 19 million Americans each year. It also is a very treatable illness, with more than 80% of those who seek treatment showing improvement. As with many illnesses, early treatment is more effective and helps prevent the likelihood of serious recurrences. Yet fewer than half those suffering from this illness seek treatment.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a metabolism disorder, affecting the way a body uses digested food for growth and energy.
It affects as many as 20.8 million Americans – about 7% of the U.S. population – of whom one in three (more than six million) are unaware they have the disease.
There are two types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2.
- Type 1, which is usually diagnosed in children or young adults, is a disease that causes the body to fail to create insulin properly.
- Type 2, previously associated only with adults (it used to be called "adult-onset diabetes"), is a largely preventable disease that results from insulin resistance and is related to obesity, physical inactivity, and poor eating habits, among other factors.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90%-95% of all diagnosed diabetes cases, and it is increasingly affecting children and young adults. One-third of today's first graders will develop diabetes over the course of their lifetimes given current trends, according to estimates from the American Diabetes Association.
Diabetes imposes a tremendous burden on national health care costs, at about $132 billion annually.
