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Subscribe to RSSMore than one in five middle-aged U.S. adults, and nearly half of adults over age 65, have more than one chronic health condition, such as hypertension and diabetes, according to a new government report.
The report said that in 2010, 21.3 percent of women and 20.1 percent of men between ages 45 and 64 had at least two chronic health conditions. In 2000, the rate among men was 15.2 percent, and among women it was 16.9 percent.
Increases were also seen in adults older than 65, with 49 percent of men and 42.5 percent of women reporting in 2010 that they had at least two chronic health conditions. In 2000, the rates were 39.2 percent of men and 35.8 percent of women.
Treatment for people with multiple chronic conditions is complex, the researchers said. By looking at trends in the rates of people with more than one condition, researchers are better able to make decisions about managing and preventing these diseases, and they can make better predictions about future health-care needs, they said.
The increases were due mainly to rises in three conditions: hypertension, diabetes and cancer, according to the report. These increases may be due to more new cases, or due to people living longer with the conditions because of advances in medical treatments.
The report also said that middle-aged adults with at least two chronic conditions had increasing difficulty, between 2000 and 2010, in getting the care and prescription drugs they needed because of cost. In 2010, 23 percent reported not receiving or delaying the medical care they needed, and 22 percent said they didn't get the prescriptions they needed. In 2000, these rates were 17 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
The CDC does not consider obesity itself to be a health condition; rather, it is a risk factor for other conditions, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The obesity rate in the U.S. increased in the United States over the past 30 years, but has leveled off in recent years, the report said.
The report is based on data gathered during the National Health Interview Survey, in which participants complete a detailed questionnaire about their health status and health-related behaviors. Participants reported whether a physician has diagnosed them with any of nine chronic health conditions: hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, current asthma and kidney disease.
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I have type I juvenile diabetes. It was not what I ate. My mom made sure we all ate good healthy food. I am now 58, diabetes is in control, have absolutely no insurance, lost my job, husband on SS, we are so btoke by the end of the month from bills and medicines that we have to eat beans and rice. Is this my fault??????? My doctor found something else wrong with me, and we are doing without more just to pay for tests.
I am sorry to hear of this. No, it is not your fault. I hope that you find employment soon, and keep controlling your diabetes, which is very difficult if you can only eat rice and beans because of poverty.
Many people on this board have no clue and no compassion.
Life is not fair and never will be. Those are the breaks. Accept your lot in life and move on or die. End of story!
sorry about spelling, broke is what i mean.
Are these reporters trying to tell us that OLD PEOPLE GET SICK AND DIE? I am shocked...SHOCKED!
Poor diet, smoking, drinking, lack of excercise are all part of the American way of life now. Too much sugar and carbs are part of our diet. Life is more stressful and people who are working are stressed. People who are out of work are really stressed. Many do not have health insurance. Our First Lady sets a great example of excercise and healthy eating but part of it is that it's expensive to eat healthy food. The leaner meats, fresh vegetables and fruits aren't cheap so many folks don't buy them and buy meats with more fat. Americans need to find a better way to live and employers should encourage them by making healthier work facilities and opportunities for healthy excercise.
yea I quess we should not get old. Any one know how to stay young forever?
Eat your green!
Few doctors are interested at all in preventative care; many receive little or no training in nutrition, for example. Their bread and butter (pun intended) is treating illness and disease. Sad to say, but this kind of news is quite welcome in the health care industry and spells job security.
You do not have to be overweight to have hypertension. I have it in my family, and not a one was overweight. I think that first of all, it's due to the focus on it that it is being diagnosed more often. You didn't used to get your blood pressure checked every time, and they never used to take blood pressure on a kid or young person. I don't think it's more prevalent, it's just that it is being checked more. Also, people used to die of "old age" and stuff. They weren't trying so hard to find something wrong with you. Now, no matter how old a person is, in the end, they say it was because of their lifestyle that they died. I think this takes the dignity away from people. We all get old and die. It isn't necessarily due to immoral actions on our part.
Excellent post Melba. People probably never got checked for diabetes, for instance, in the 40s, 50s and at least to the 80s. I have diabetes at 62. I develeoped it at 57 and it was found at a yearly scheduled physical. I am not over weight and it doesn't run in the family. Go figure.
Just because workers are calling in "Sick" doesn't mean they're having health issues. The Monday "Brew Flu" runs rampant in the government offices where I work after Super Bowl Sunday and other large late tv events. Also it's not uncommon for folks to 'get sick' on the day before or the day after a 3 day weekend.
While there are many folks with actual issues, there are many who are now figuring out how to 'scam' the system in the attempt to get permanent disability and the resulting jump in their pensions.
Several local Police Departments have had an unusal number of officers who , when in the final year or two of service before retirement, suddenly have 'service related' injuries from their past that 'flare back up' enabling them to retire with a 'disability' and a 100% pay check instead of the <50% pension check.
I have also seen several GS'ers pull the same scam.
"Chronic" maybe, but chronic laziness and greed.
Doctors are the ones causing many problems they are pill happy. All they are interested in is $$$$ and could care less about you. Stress is due to people having way too much on there plate. Worry upon worry. Kids running wild (more stress) causing heart disease and many other issues. So as far as I can see at least for myself. I eat right, enjoy life do what I want in moderation and am doing just fine at 65 thank you. Last saw a quack 25 years ago thank God I had the good sense not to listen or I would be dead by now. LMAO!! at those who trust Doctors or as I call them Duckters.
You have not seen a doctor in 25 years yet you blame them for the problem?! LOL! Do you always speak from "experience" (or lack there-of)?
Alison: If you suddenly come down with cancer, I'm sure that you won't find doctors as pill happy as you do now.
The problem is, you would prevent others less healthy than you from receiving medical attention. I think of people like you preventing my husband from having proper medical care when he had symptoms of cancer. Thanks a lot.
I blame Monsanto for making crappy food.
I blame welfare for growing and creating generations of people who live off of fast food.
Welfare has created reverse evolution: survival of the weakest, laziest, least intelligent and least productive genes.
No wonder the population of sick continues to climb... we have interfered with natural selection... and will pay the price.
Welfare is barely anything in our population. Its all GMO food now.
50% of American receive some kind of assistance. Does that qualify as "barely anything"?
You mean the rich who get government contracts, especially in the rural red states?
Overpopulation, promoted by welfare, is destroying the planet and environment.
Maybe the sick and ill need to be allowed to die without artificially interfering with nature and prolonging death? An awful lot of money is wasted keeping frail helpless sick people alive.. Money that would be better spent on the healthy.
Doctor assisted suicide should be legalized and offered as a fast immediate no "red-tape" option available to all who are ill, incapacitated, or in jail/prison.
If I were sickly and ill I would opt for painless doctor assisted suicide in an instant.
Artificially prolonging life is a fools game, and economic suicide as well.
Obamacare will prove to be the final blow in the economic collapse of the USA.
70-odd years ago about half a million people were sterilised against their will, and 70,000 or so were euthanised in Europe.
I've Godwined the discussion!
People who are treated for pain do not want suicide, which is self-murder. Some healthy people hope that others will kill themselves, but usually that is because they envy somebody else's real estate.
The healthy already spend lots of money on themselves: they go out to eat at over-priced restaurants and eat way too much, and then complain that sick people do that (because they have a few minutes of discomfort after dinner), even though cancer, diabetes, and hypertension occur in plenty of thin people.
The truly sick meanwhile struggle to survive on the little they have, because many cannot work long hours.
Seriously: if we only spend money on the healthy, and we ignore the sick, then the next infectious disease that comes up will wipe out all those healthy people too.
Fattest, laziest, least employed, and now the sickest. Boy, I didn't see that coming.
To those of you using this article as an argument for socialized medicine, you can save your wheezing breath. It won't work in the US like it does in Canada simply because there isn't enough money amongst the MINORTIY of us who are actually gainfully employed to take care of the MAJORITY of us who aren't. Over 60% of working age Canadians are GAINFULLY employed. Less that 45% of working age Americans are employed. The minority can't afford to take care of the majority. Sorry.
Maybe if they let the bottom-feeder 15% of the chronically unemployed die, the other 85% would get their act together. We are no longer the wealthiest nation in the world and, even when we were, we didn't get that way by coddling a bunch of lazy freeloaders.
Don't bother responding to this if you don't have a job. Your opinion doesn't count.
You are 100% correct.
Welfare is a failed experiment.
When you feed the poor and uneducated, all you get are more and more poor and uneducated... their numbers grow and increase.
but eyes likes the wayfay - dey gives me da munny and eyes donts has to wurk fos it - den I am free to hangs wit my homies and smoke dat crack cocaines - noam sain?
Now you want to murder sick people?
I would hope that somebody would want to at least pray for the sick.
In many cases, yes. But you don't know a whole lot more than what you hear from your favorite pundits. Many assistance programs require ongoing educational and/or re-training programs for the recipients to remain eligible. Believe me, I know, since I've spent a lot of time providing the help for folks to do what they really want to do, which is to get off the public dole.
I am pretty sure that our food is much safer relative to before industrialization. Without the technologies that have gone into farming there would be nowhere near enough food to feed even a few hundred million, let alone the entire population of the earth. What we have now is high carb, high energy foods which cause our bodies to store more of what we eat than in the past. Problem is our bodies have not evolved for these new foods so we remain hungry long after we have eaten enough. This is not necessarily anyone's fault, i for one favor high carb, high energy foods because with these foods it takes less food to feed the earth's population. There are people starving in the world but that is only because they lack the means to grow food for themselves, and even though more than enough food aid is donated for these people, historically at least 25% gets stolen due to corruption, and then at least 10% more of whats left gets lost due to the inability to actually get the aid to the people. In the absence of these problems there is more than enough food available to feed everyone for their entire lives.
Did you know that it is thought that without technology the earth only has enough natural capacity to feed 7 million people.
A study was completed at Johns Hopkins University in 2008 that concluded that we lose 9 minutes off our life for every slice of bacon that we eat. This means I should have died in April of 1495.
Another study was done that concluded married people live longer than single people. After a carefully reviewing the data, it was concluded that married people actually do not live longer than single people. It just seems longer.
Ha!
I think this reflects more attempts at fraudulent disability claims rather than an actual representation of the health of America. Plus, how many millions of diseased illegal immigrants do we let in before it pulls the health picture down? It has already made our test scores in school look artificially low.
Diseased morons + can't speak English = why things look bleak.; Oh, and before you label me a racist...just what race are illegal aliens?
You're such a dog.
wascigarman:
Couldn't possibly be the environment we live in and lifestyle. Smoking, drinking to excess, poor nutrition leading to obesity and heart disease..... Obama care wont make America healthy and you obviously have been getting your information from planet 'way the heck out there' because nothing you have quoted is true.
A sicker America is exactly what Pharma and other corporations want. How do you think they make all that money. Wake up and take care of yourself, its your responsibility to stay healthy, not theirs. Exercise, eat right, quit bad habits. No amount of medicine or surgery can substitute for these.
So many places to argue here, where does one begin?
1...I guess diet is as good a place to start as any. I agree eating right (both whats you eat and the portions) is important. I realize not everyone can have a garden, but cooking is a lost art. It's all prepackaged meals in a bag anymore. Even salads are in a bag anymore. How frickin lazy does someone need to be they can't tear up some lettuce, slice a tomato, onion, and dig in? Going off on a slight tangent, anyone receiving food stamps should only have access to fresh produce and raw ingredients and learn to cook rather than get a cart full of processed food/snacks. But I digress. It is also important to focus on the flip side of the coin....exercise.
2...Consider that if you look back through older photos you rarely saw anyone with a lot girth to them. If they did it was mostly muscle or just a large frame. Its amazing considering these people believed in big breakfasts. Fried eggs, sausage, bacon, etc. They ate a lot, but they also worked. Today, having to sharpen a pencil or walking to the copying machine is considered a hard day's work.
3...I would argue that our immune systems are crap. When today's 40 somethings and up were kids, what did you do? You went outside, played in the dirt and mud. Swam in the lakes and rivers. You had a few bumps and bruises, maybe even the occasional broken bone. Point is, you gave your immune systems a work out. You got your shots to get them started, but then normal activity took over. Now these same people are raising kids that have to have helmets, knee/elbow pads and wrapped in bubble wrap before even setting foot outside the house. As a result the kids aren't developing an immune system.
The last argument has two parts two it but there are closely intertwined.
4a...From reading medical journals to watching drug ads on tv, there seems to be a condition for pretty much anything now. I'm waiting for the commercials saying that if you fart, you need this drug "X" because you have condition "Y".
4b...The second part that ties into this is with so many things labeled anymore, people are becoming hypochondriacs to one degree or another. The thing is, if a person is convinced they have something, the mind can make the body develop the problem. Even if it wasn't there initially.
I agree with all your points.
Yep, agree with pretty much everything! And I was only born in 1990...kids that I teach music to now are WAY more protected and what-not then kids of my generation (yes, we are separate generations). At a conference just recently, a psychologist gave a talk called
"Teaching the pampered generation". She gave one case story where a family who was exhausted to the point of illness came in because of their four year old son. He would not go to bed before 2:30am. She asked them "Well, what do you think is an appropriate bedtime?" They answered "Probably 7:30 or 8:00". "Well, then put him to bed then" "But he won't like it!"
That was literally their response. Craziness.
This is bound to happen when the nation's health care system is maintained to make billions for a few rather to keep people healthy.
The Brits showed at the Olympics just how proud they were of their National Health Service...too bad our Country fights tooth and nail against providing health care for its Citizens...FOR SHAME!!!
Your health is what you make of it personally.
WE do have the best health care in the world - we also have the finest politicians money can buy -
while rejoicing on that reflect on the fact that our current foeign policy goals greatly resemble those of the
Roman Empire and given our continued military presence throughout the world - matters such as
health care - employment etc - will be secondary to mere survival.
I went to the ER last year for some stitches in my pinkie. Four stitches - $1700.00. I thought about taping it up myself but I went in anyway. Prior to that, I went to the ER three years ago because I broke my arm. I knew I probably couldn't fix that myself. Five years ago I went to the doctor because I broke my leg.
No, I don't have osteoporosis, I was just not paying enough attention. Anyway, that's about the only time that I see doctors. I try to eat right, get enough sleep and exercise. I also take very good supplements. At 58 I have no chronic problems, never get colds or the flu and take no medications. I occasionally check my blood presure and check my blood sugar and they are always good.
We have it too easy now. We sit around too much playing on the internet... Oops... Guess I need to stop that...