Prevalence of Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults, 2018.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional analysis of national survey data
PubMed 32945769 · doi:10.5888/pcd17.200130
What was done
Analyzed data from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to estimate the prevalence of diagnosed single and multiple (≥2) chronic conditions among the noninstitutionalized, civilian US adult population across demographic characteristics. The analysis evaluated 10 specific conditions: arthritis, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, current asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, hypertension, stroke, and weak or failing kidneys.
What was found
In 2018, 51.8% of US adults had at least 1 of the 10 selected diagnosed chronic conditions, and 27.2% of US adults had multiple chronic conditions.
Why it matters
Provides updated national surveillance benchmarks showing that more than half of US adults live with a diagnosed chronic illness and over a quarter manage multiple co-occurring chronic conditions.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total sample size (n) or subgroup breakdowns. Data are cross-sectional and rely on self-reported diagnoses among noninstitutionalized civilian adults, excluding institutionalized populations and restricting evaluation to only 10 preselected conditions.
Cited by
- supports Sixty percent of Americans have one chronic illness, and 25 percent have two or more.