Half of all American adults have at least one chronic disease

Half of all American adults have at least one chronic disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). That means 50 percent of the adult population is suffering from a condition like diabetes, obesity, or chronic heart disease.

The number of people who have two or more conditions is just as significant; more than 25 percent of American adults have at least two chronic diseases, the bulk of which can be attributed to factors considered within an individual’s control.

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Experts at the CDC indicate “chronic diseases are the main causes of poor health, disability, and death, and account for most of health care expenditures” in the U.S., with tobacco use, poor diet, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol consumption, high cholesterol, and poorly managed blood pressure topping the list of controllable factors contributing to the chronic disease numbers.

What is to be done about chronic disease?

According to the CDC, in order to combat the issue facing half of American adults, community and nationwide measures must be taken, including:

1. Epidemiology and surveillance to monitor trends and track progress
2. Policies and environments that promote health and support healthy behaviors
3. Health care that effectively delivers prevention services
4. Stronger links between health care and community services.

These four key objective are strengthened through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as CDC study authors indicate access to health care is what ultimately drives lower numbers of chronic disease.

“Collectively, these four strategies will prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases, foster early detection and slow disease progression in people with chronic conditions, reduce complications, support an improved quality of life, and reduce demand on the health care system,” the report concludes, adding, “As the US health care [system] undergoes further transformations with implementation of the A?ordable Care Act, and as ?scal challenges continue, opportunities and needs to further improve the health status of Americans will become clearer.”

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Study authors indicate more emphasis needs to be placed on preventative medicine and education, rather than the treatment of diseases. By improving awareness and screenings in combination with increasing health care accessibility,  it is possible to decrease the disease burden in the United States.

According to a report from Medical News Today, spending for Medicare tops $300 billion, and approximately 90 percent of that cost can be linked to people with two or more chronic diseases.