I spend a lot of time talking about the human cost of chronic illness, but I thought it might be worthwhile to look at some of the raw research done on the subject.
As you will see, there are some variations in the statistics – most likely due the way chronic illness is identified and the methodology of the study. Despite the variance, the numbers are still staggering. We see that about half of all North Americans have a chronic illness. We also note that more than a third of the working-aged population is battling at least one chronic condition.
American Studies on Chronic Illness
57.3 million working aged Americans – 33 per cent of the working aged population – have at least one chronic condition.
Center for Studying Health System Change 2009
Chronic illness costs over a triliion dollars a year in lost productivity alone. That number is expected to reach $4 trillion in just over ten years
125 million Americans currently suffer with a chronic illness – and by the year 2020, that number is expected to rise to 157 million. To illustrate just how staggering that is, the numbers equal nearly one in two Americans who suffer from a chronic condition.
PBS series Who Cares: Chronic Illness In America,
Among the working-age population, 45 per cent have a chronic condition.
1998 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
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.
Canadian Studies on Chronic Illness
A few of the numbers may seem slightly contradictory – but if you read carefully you’ll notice that some take into account productivity losses, some only medical expenses etc. It’s also worthwhile to note that many of the Canadian studies include only certain types of chronic illness (listed below) and omit others such as digestive diseases, some kidney and skin diseases. Therefore the total cost of all chronic illnesses are significantly higher than stated.
- More than half of Canadians live with a chronic disease.
- Chronic diseases are expensive: they cost the economy 77 billion dollars – almost half of the annual cost of illness in Canada.
Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century
- Worldwide, chronic diseases have overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of death and disability.
- In Ontario, chronic diseases account for 55% of direct and indirect health costs.
Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care May 2007
Combining direct medical costs ($38.9 billion) and indirect productivity losses ($54.4 billion), the total economic burden of seven types of chronic illness (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory ailments, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, diseases of the nervous system and sense organs, and mental illness), exceeds $93 billion a year.
(Note: These numbers to not take into account gastrointestinal, skin or kidney conditions . Therefore chronic illness costs to the Canadian economy are likely well over $100 billion a year)
The Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada 2004
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