HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Verbrugge, L M Articles by Patrick, D L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Verbrugge, L M Articles by Patrick, D L

Seven chronic conditions: their impact on US adults' activity levels and use of medical services.

L M Verbrugge and D L Patrick

Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2007.

OBJECTIVES. This paper analyzes the impact of seven chronic conditions (three nonfatal: arthritis, visual impairment, hearing impairment; four fatal: ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, malignant neoplasms) on US adults aged 18 and older. Impact refers to how readily a condition prompts activity limitations, physician visits, and hospital stays. METHODS. Data come from three national health surveys and vital statistics. For comparability, a single disease classification scheme was applied, and new rates were estimated. Frequency, impact, and prominence of the target conditions are studied via rates, ratios of rates, and ranks, respectively. RESULTS. In young adulthood, the nonfatal conditions prompt limitations less readily than do the fatal ones, but by older ages, arthritis and visual impairment have a limiting impact equivalent to that of fatal conditions. Despite high prevalence and limitations, nonfatal conditions stand well below fatal conditions for health services use. CONCLUSIONS. Although statistics on frequency, impact, and prominence all indicate conditions "importance," they give only weak clues about specific service needs of affected persons. The persistent finding that nonfatal conditions do not receive health services care commensurate with their prevalence and impact reflects long-standing imbalanced attention on fatal conditions in research and medical care.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. T. E. Puts, D. J. H. Deeg, N. Hoeymans, W. J. Nusselder, and F. G. Schellevis Changes in the prevalence of chronic disease and the association with disability in the older Dutch population between 1987 and 2001 Age Ageing, March 1, 2008; 37(2): 187 - 193. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. V Perruccio, J D. Power, and E. M Badley The relative impact of 13 chronic conditions across three different outcomes J. Epidemiol. Community Health, December 1, 2007; 61(12): 1056 - 1061. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. R. Merikangas, M. Ames, L. Cui, P. E. Stang, T. B. Ustun, M. Von Korff, and R. C. Kessler The Impact of Comorbidity of Mental and Physical Conditions on Role Disability in the US Adult Household Population Arch Gen Psychiatry, October 1, 2007; 64(10): 1180 - 1188. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. O. Weiss, C. M. Boyd, Q. Yu, J. L. Wolff, and B. Leff Patterns of Prevalent Major Chronic Disease Among Older Adults in the United States JAMA, September 12, 2007; 298(10): 1160 - 1162. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Owsley, G. McGwin, K. Scilley, G. C. Meek, A. Dyer, and D. Seker The Visual Status of Older Persons Residing in Nursing Homes Arch Ophthalmol, July 1, 2007; 125(7): 925 - 930. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. S. Alexopoulos, J. A. Sirey, P. J. Raue, D. Kanellopoulos, T. E. Clark, and R. S. Novitch Outcomes of depressed patients undergoing inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, May 1, 2006; 14(5): 466 - 475. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Naessens, M. A. Baird, H. K. Van Houten, D. J. Vanness, and C. R. Campbell Predicting Persistently High Primary Care Use Ann. Fam. Med, July 1, 2005; 3(4): 324 - 330. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Andrianakos, S. Miyakis, P. Trontzas, G. Kaziolas, F. Christoyannis, D. Karamitsos, G. Karanikolas, P. Dantis, and for the ESORDIG study group The burden of the rheumatic diseases in the general adult population of Greece: the ESORDIG study Rheumatology, July 1, 2005; 44(7): 932 - 938. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. E. Tinetti, H. Allore, K. L. B. Araujo, and T. Seeman Modifiable Impairments Predict Progressive Disability Among Older Persons J Aging Health, April 1, 2005; 17(2): 239 - 256. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Horowitz, J. P. Reinhardt, and G. J. Kennedy Major and Subthreshold Depression Among Older Adults Seeking Vision Rehabilitation Services Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, March 1, 2005; 13(3): 180 - 187. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. N. Murtagh and H. B. Hubert Gender Differences in Physical Disability Among an Elderly Cohort Am J Public Health, August 1, 2004; 94(8): 1406 - 1411. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				The WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium Prevalence, Severity, and Unmet Need for Treatment of Mental Disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys JAMA, June 2, 2004; 291(21): 2581 - 2590. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Mor and T. T. Perls Robine and Michel's "Looking Forward to a General Theory on Population Aging": Measuring Functional Decline in Population Aging in a Changing World and an Evolving Biology J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., June 1, 2004; 59(6): M609 - M611. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Crews and V. A. Campbell Vision Impairment and Hearing Loss Among Community-Dwelling Older Americans: Implications for Health and Functioning Am J Public Health, May 1, 2004; 94(5): 823 - 829. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. T. Stewart Do Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures Rise With Age Among Older Americans? Gerontologist, February 1, 2004; 44(1): 48 - 57. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G A M van den Bos, J P J M Smits, G P Westert, and A van Straten Socioeconomic variations in the course of stroke: unequal health outcomes, equal care? J. Epidemiol. Community Health, December 1, 2002; 56(12): 943 - 948. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Valderrama-Gama, J. Damian, A. Ruigomez, and J. M. Martin-Moreno Chronic Disease, Functional Status, and Self-Ascribed Causes of Disabilities Among Noninstitutionalized Older People in Spain J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., November 1, 2002; 57(11): M716 - 721. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. D. Voelker, K. G. Saag, D. A. Schwartz, E. Chrischilles, W. R. Clarke, R. F. Woolson, and B. N. Doebbeling Health-related Quality of Life in Gulf War Era Military Personnel Am. J. Epidemiol., May 15, 2002; 155(10): 899 - 907. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. M. Damush, T. E. Stump, and D. O. Clark Body-Mass Index and 4-Year Change in Health-Related Quality of Life J Aging Health, May 1, 2002; 14(2): 195 - 210. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. Seeman and X. Chen Risk and Protective Factors for Physical Functioning in Older Adults With and Without Chronic Conditions: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2002; 57(3): S135 - 144. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. H. Gold, B. Malmberg, G. E. McClearn, N. L. Pedersen, and S. Berg Gender and Health: A Study of Older Unlike-Sex Twins J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2002; 57(3): S168 - 176. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Green and C. R. Pope Effects of Hearing Impairment on Use of Health Services Among the Elderly J Aging Health, August 1, 2001; 13(3): 315 - 328. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. W. Mapel, J. S. Hurley, F. J. Frost, H. V. Petersen, M. A. Picchi, and D. B. Coultas Health Care Utilization in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Case-Control Study in a Health Maintenance Organization Arch Intern Med, September 25, 2000; 160(17): 2653 - 2658. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. K. Pope and M. Sowers Functional Status and Hearing Impairments in Women at Midlife J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2000; 55(3): S190 - S194. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. W. Mapel, M. A. Picchi, J. S. Hurley, F. J. Frost, H. V. Petersen, V. M. Mapel, and D. B. Coultas Utilization in COPD : Patient Characteristics and Diagnostic Evaluation Chest, May 1, 2000; 117(5_suppl_2): 346S - 353S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. F. DeBusk, J. A. West, N. H. Miller, and C. B. Taylor Chronic Disease Management: Treating the Patient With Disease(s) vs Treating Disease(s) in the Patient Arch Intern Med, December 13, 1999; 159(22): 2739 - 2742. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. O. Clark, T. E. Stump, S. L. Hui, and F. D. Wolinsky Predictors of Mobility and Basic ADL Difficulty among Adults Aged 70 Years and Older J Aging Health, November 1, 1998; 10(4): 422 - 440. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. J. M. S. o. Reimer, R. J. de Haan, P. T. Rijnders, M. Limburg, and G. A. M. van den Bos The Burden of Caregiving in Partners of Long-Term Stroke Survivors Stroke, August 1, 1998; 29(8): 1605 - 1611. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P M Livingston, C A McCarty, and H R Taylor Knowledge, attitudes, and self care practices associated with age related eye disease in Australia Br. J. Ophthalmol., July 1, 1998; 82(7): 780 - 785. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				C. A. Mustard, P. Kaufert, A. Kozyrskyj, and T. Mayer Sex Differences in the Use of Health Care Services N. Engl. J. Med., June 4, 1998; 338(23): 1678 - 1683. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. D. Hayward, E. M. Crimmins, and Y. Saito Cause of Death and Active Life Expectancy in the Older Population of the United States J Aging Health, May 1, 1998; 10(2): 192 - 213. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. Hamerman Aging and the musculoskeletal system Ann Rheum Dis, October 1, 1997; 56(10): 578 - 585. [Full Text]

				N. M. Clark, N. K. Janz, J. A. Dodge, M. A. Schork, J. R. C. Wheeler, J. Liang, S. J. Keteylan, and J. T. Santinga Self-Management of Heart Disease by Older Adults: Assessment of an Intervention Based on Social Cognitive Theory Research on Aging, September 1, 1997; 19(3): 362 - 382. [Abstract]