Introduction

Let's start with a provocative question: What do you think are your chances of dying from a heart attack?

If you are like most people, your response to this - or similar questions such as "What are the chances you'll develop cancer" - would likely be along the lines of "not very high." Or perhaps you'd acknowledge the danger but still live as if the odds were comfortably low.

In general, it's relatively easy for us to grasp statistics relating to short-term, acute diseases. Think, for example, of how rapidly fear spread during the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, it's much harder to appreciate, let alone act upon, the slow, invisible threat of chronic diseases that take decades to develop.

We've touched on several topics related to chronic disease in previous posts (e.g. here). In this article, we expand on the theme - outlining the major chronic diseases that constitute the leading global causes of death - and argue why every one of us should take an active stance in preventing them.

Which Are the Chronic Diseases? 

The vast majority of chronic diseases fall under one (or more) of the following categories:

• Cardiovascular diseases: These include heart attacks, strokes, and other atherosclerotic disorders.
• Neurodegenerative diseases: These include Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, and Parkinson's disease.
• Metabolic diseases: Including Obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes.
• Autoimmune disorders: Such as skin conditions, type I diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.
• Cancer.

It becomes clear why these illnesses are colloquially called chronic: they take years - often decades - to develop, proceeding through a complex cascade of events, and they tend to persist for much of a person's life.

US Health Statistics

Perhaps it's easier to answer the question posed in the introduction after taking a hard look at the data.

The WHO includes these chronic diseases among the top ten global causes of death, but some countries fare worse than others.

Unfortunately, as Americans, we form a paradigmatic nation of chronic disease run wild. According to the CDC, cardiovascular disease kills 845,000 people annually, cancer claims 615,000, Alzheimer's follows with the "relatively low" 115,000, and diabetes with 95,000. That is, if death is the only metric we place emphasis on. The collective psychological and societal burden of these diseases and their symptoms on the nation is immeasurable.

All of these diseases stem from prolonged exposure to risk factors - many of which are modifiable. In the US, we collect these like silent injuries, until the body finally demands repayment:

• Metabolic syndrome: About 120 million Americans meet three or more of the criteria for metabolic syndrome, while nine out of ten meet at least one.
• Obesity: Seven out of ten are overweight or obese.
• Chronic inflammation: Six out of ten suffer from chronic inflammation.
• Physical activity: Three out of four do not meet minimum exercise guidelines.
• Diet: Over 90% fail to meet basic dietary recommendations.
• Sleep: One in three adults get fewer than the recommended seven ours of sleep per night, with older individuals getting substantially less.
• Mental health: About 60 million Americans experience mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.
• Smoking: One in five adults smoke an average of 13 cigarettes per day - amounting to a staggering 1.6 trillion cigarretes (80 billion packs) per year.
• Alcohol: According to the NIH, roughly 100 million adults report binge or heavy drinking in the past month.

Conclusion and Outlook

Based on the data, an honest answer to our opening question - or its broader version "What are the chances that my life will be affected by chronic disease?" - is simple: 

It is almost certain that either I, or someone close to me, will be impacted during my lifetime.

This may sound macabre, but in truth, it is both motivating and empowering. Awareness brings perspective, and perspective brings control. The good news is that, to a large extent, our health is in our hands. We can mitigate risk factors, take measures to reverse symptoms, and fortify ourselves against disease - it is never too late to start.

The real question is: "Are we going to do everything we can to become - and stay - healthy?"

For your family, your society, yourself - we hope you'll say yes.