Facts and Statistics About Chronic Illness

Nearly 1 in 2 Americans (133 million) has a chronic condition Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Partnership for Solutions: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (September 2004 Update). "Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care". 96% of them live with an illness that is invisible. These people do no use a cane or any assistive device and may look perfectly healthy. 2002 US Census Bureau

About 133 million people in the U.S. have a chronic illness.

• 20.6 percent of the population
• about 54 million people, have some level of disability
• 9.9 percent or 26 million people had a severe disabiliy
• 1.8 million used a wheelchair
• 5.2 million used a cane, crutches, or a walker^

So that is less than 6% who have a visible illness.

Notably, 26 million persons were considered to have a severe disability

Yet, only 7 million persons used a visible device for mobility.

Thus, 19 million of the people who were defined as severely disabled, did not use a wheelchair, cane, crutches or walkers.

In other words, 73% of Americans with severe disabilities do not use such devices. Therefore, a disability cannot be determined solely on whether or not a person uses visible assistive equipment*

• By 2020, about 157 million Americans will be afflicted by chronic illnesses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• That number is projected to increase by more than one percent per year by 2030, resulting in an estimated chronically ill population of 171 million.
  Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Partnership for Solutions: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (September 2004 Update). "Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care".
• Sixty percent are between the ages of 18 and 64
  Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• 90% of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77% have two or more chronic diseases
  The Growing Burden of Chronic Disease in American, Public Heal Reports / May–June 2004 / Volume 119, Gerard Anderson, PhD
• 9 million people are cancer survivors with various side effects from treatment
  American Cancer Society

  The divorce rate among the chronically ill is over 75 percent
  National Health Interview Survey

Money Issues

Four in five health care dollars (78%) are spent on behalf of people with chronic conditions The Growing Burden of Chronic Disease in American, Public Health Reports, MayJune 2004 Volume 119 Gerard Anderson, PhD

Mental Illness/Depression

Depression is 15-20% higher for the chronically ill than for the average person Rifkin, A. "Depression in Physically Ill Patients," Postgraduate Medicine (9-92) 147-154. About one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year; Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27. and more than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental disorder Conwell Y, Brent D. Suicide and aging I: patterns of psychiatric diagnosis. International Psychogeriatrics, 1995; 7(2): 149-64.

Suicidal Thoughts

Various studies have reported that physical illness or uncontrollable physical pain are major factors in up to 70% of suicides; Mackenzie TB, Popkin MK: "Suicide in the medical patient.". Intl J Psych in Med 17:3-22, 1987 and more than 50% of these suicidal patients were under 35 years of age Michalon M: La psychiatrie de consultation-liaison: une etude prospective en milieu hospitalier general. Can J Psychiatry (In French) 38:168-174,1993

Use of the Internet

58% of those who found the internet to be crucial or important during a loved one’s recent health crisis say the single most important source of information was something they found online. * Pew Internet and American Life

THURSDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Along with taboo topics such as politics and religion, many Americans are reluctant to discuss managing a chronic illness with family or friends, according to a new survey of more than 1,000 adults.

The survey, released Oct. 11, found that 82 percent of respondents said they knew someone with a chronic illness, but only 34 percent were likely to suggest ways for this person to better manage their care. That's about the same number who said they'd debate politics (37 percent) or religion (33 percent) with a loved one or friend.

Respondents were more likely to discourage friends or loved ones from buying the wrong house (65 percent), loan them a large amount of money (56 percent), advise them against taking a job they didn't think was right for the person (48 percent), and tell them their spouse was unfaithful (41 percent).

The survey was released by Evercare, a provider of health plans for people who have chronic illnesses, are older, or have disabilities.

The reasons why many Americans are reluctant to offer advice to chronically-ill friends or family include:

1. They think the person has the situation under control (66 percent); they are not a health care professional (31 percent)
2. they don't want to seem like a nag (31 percent) or rude (29 percent)
3. they don't believe the person would listen to them (27 percent)
4. they didn't think the matter was that important (15 percent).

Other findings:

• Twenty percent of respondents said their spouse was the easiest person to give advice to about health, followed by a child (20 percent), mother (13 percent), and father (5 percent).
• Most respondents said they'd prefer to receive advice about managing a chronic illness from a health care professional (67 percent), followed by a spouse (10 percent) or parent (7 percent). Men were twice as likely as women (14 percent versus 7 percent) to have their spouse give them such advice.
• Men have an easier time offering health advice to their spouse (28 percent) than women (19 percent). Women have an easier time offering health advice to their children (24 percent) than men (16 percent).
• Thirty-four percent of respondents said the person closest to them with a chronic illness is a parent (34 percent), followed by another relative (16 percent), spouse (14 percent), friend (11 percent), sibling (8 percent), and child (6 percent).
  

Evercare offered tips on how to help family or friends with a chronic illness:

• Talk to them in order to get an understanding of their goals. Get the conversation started by discussing events or activities they used to enjoy or future events they want to be part of, such as a family reunion. Once you understand their goals, you can help them achieve them along with health care providers, doctors or community service agencies.
  
• Appoint an "ambassador" -- someone your friend or loved one feels comfortable talking with and respects enough to heed his or her advice. This person can help your friend or family member manage their condition.
  
• Increase your comfort levels by educating yourself about the person's chronic illness. This will make you feel more comfortable speaking with them about the condition and reinforcing the advice the patient has received from their doctors.