What are the top 25 medical conditions by diagnosis and prevalence in North America?

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Top 25 Medical Conditions by Diagnosis and Prevalence in North America

Based on the most comprehensive Medicare and national survey data, the following 25 conditions represent the highest prevalence chronic diseases affecting North American adults, with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and arthritis consistently ranking as the top three across all populations.

The Top 25 Most Prevalent Medical Conditions

Tier 1: Highest Prevalence (>50% in at-risk populations)

  1. Hypertension - Affects 81-89% of adults with cardiovascular disease and approximately 25% of all adults 1. Among Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years, hypertension is the #1 comorbidity across all cardiovascular conditions 1.

  2. Hyperlipidemia/High Cholesterol - Present in 62-70% of adults with cardiovascular disease 1. More than 100 million adults have elevated cholesterol levels, with over 35 million requiring aggressive medical intervention 1.

  3. Arthritis (Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid) - Affects 40-46% of adults with cardiovascular disease and 14-36% of the general adult population 1, 2. Ranks as the 4th-6th most common comorbidity in cardiovascular patients 1.

Tier 2: Very High Prevalence (30-50%)

  1. Obesity - Prevalence increased from 22.9% to 30.5% between 1988-1994 and 1999-2000, with current estimates showing 20-34% of adults classified as obese 1, 2. Among adults ≥20 years, obesity affects 14-38% depending on geographic location 2.

  2. Diabetes Mellitus - Affects 30.3 million Americans (9.4% of adults ≥18 years), with 37-47% prevalence in cardiovascular disease patients 1. An additional 79 million have prediabetes 1.

  3. Anemia - Present in 38-51% of patients with cardiovascular disease, ranking as the 4th-5th most common comorbidity 1, 3.

  4. Ischemic Heart Disease/Coronary Artery Disease - Affects 64-72% of patients with heart failure and is the index condition for 8.7 million Medicare beneficiaries 1. Approximately 13.2 million cases of coronary heart disease exist in the U.S. 1.

Tier 3: High Prevalence (20-40%)

  1. Chronic Kidney Disease - Present in 30-45% of patients with cardiovascular disease 1, 3. Ranks 7th-8th among comorbidities in heart disease patients 1.

  2. Heart Failure - Affects 36% of patients with ischemic heart disease and represents 4.4 million Medicare beneficiaries 1.

  3. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - Affects 21-31% of patients with cardiovascular disease 1, 3. Prevalence has increased 46% for chronic bronchitis over the past decade 4.

  4. Depression - Present in 30% of patients with atrial fibrillation and represents a commonly underreported comorbidity 1, 3.

  5. Atrial Fibrillation - Affects 19-29% of patients with ischemic heart disease and heart failure 1, 3. Represents 2.6 million Medicare beneficiaries 1.

  6. Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia - Present in 26-34% of patients with heart failure and stroke 1, 3. Increasingly common with age and often underreported 1.

  7. Asthma - Affects 5-10% of adults at the state level, with prevalence of 3-13% at the county level 2, 4. Prevalence rates have increased almost 50% over the past decade 4.

Tier 4: Moderate Prevalence (10-25%)

  1. Cancer (All Types Combined) - Approximately 9.6 million Americans diagnosed with cancer were alive in 2000, with 1.4 million new cases annually 1. Accounts for 23% of all deaths 1.

  2. Stroke/Cerebrovascular Disease - Represents 1.1 million Medicare beneficiaries and approximately 4.8 million prevalent cases 1. Accounts for 163,538 deaths annually 1.

  3. Cataract - Affects 22% of patients with cardiovascular disease 1.

  4. Deformities or Orthopedic Impairments - The most frequent chronic condition reported with almost 35 million conditions 4.

  5. Chronic Sinusitis - Affects 33.7 million Americans annually 4.

  6. Metabolic Syndrome - Defined by presence of 3 or more risk factors (waist circumference ≥102 cm men/88 cm women, BP ≥130/85, fasting glucose ≥110 mg/dL, triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL, low HDL) 1. Associated with 4-fold increase in fatal CHD risk 1.

Tier 5: Significant Prevalence (5-15%)

  1. Diabetic Retinopathy - Among 30.3 million Americans with diabetes, a significant proportion develop retinopathy, with type 1 diabetes associated with more frequent and severe complications 1.

  2. Osteoporosis - Commonly occurs in older adults, particularly women, though specific prevalence data varies by population 1.

  3. Lung Disease (excluding COPD and asthma) - Includes various chronic respiratory conditions 2.

  4. Hepatitis (B and C combined) - Tracked as chronic conditions in national surveys 5, 2.

  5. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - Common in older men, included in chronic condition tracking 1.

Most Common Comorbidity Combinations

The most prevalent disease dyads and triads provide critical context for understanding disease burden 1:

Top 5 Dyads (2 conditions):

  • High cholesterol + High blood pressure: 57.2% 1
  • High blood pressure + Ischemic heart disease: 36.8% 1
  • High blood pressure + Arthritis: 33.3% 1
  • High blood pressure + Diabetes: 32.7% 1
  • High cholesterol + Ischemic heart disease: 31.3% 1

Top 5 Triads (3 conditions):

  • High cholesterol + High blood pressure + Ischemic heart disease: 35.8% 1, 3
  • High cholesterol + High blood pressure + Diabetes: 31.7% 1, 3
  • High cholesterol + High blood pressure + Arthritis: 28.8% 1
  • High blood pressure + Diabetes + Ischemic heart disease: 21.5% 1
  • High blood pressure + Arthritis + Ischemic heart disease: 20.6% 1

Key Epidemiological Trends

Multiple chronic conditions are now the norm rather than the exception 1, 3:

  • More than half (51.8%) of U.S. adults have at least 1 of 10 major chronic conditions 5
  • 27.2% of U.S. adults have multiple (≥2) chronic conditions 5
  • Among Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years with heart failure, the mean number of conditions is 6.1 1
  • From 1999-2000 to 2017-2020, the mean number of chronic conditions among adults with hypertension increased from 2.2 to 2.8 6
  • In 2017-2020, more than half (52%) of U.S. adults with hypertension had ≥3 additional chronic conditions 6

Important Caveats

Prevalence varies significantly by demographic factors 1:

  • Race/ethnicity: Native Americans/Alaska Natives (15.1%), non-Hispanic Blacks (12.7%), and Hispanics (12.1%) have higher diabetes rates compared to non-Hispanic Whites (7.4%) 1
  • Age: Among those 65+, 25% have diabetes compared to 4% among 18-44 year-olds 1
  • Education: Adults with less than high school education have twice the diabetes incidence (10.4/1000) compared to those with more than high school education (5.3/1000) 1
  • Geographic variation: State-level prevalence ranges substantially (e.g., diabetes 5-13%, hypertension 21-35%, obesity 20-34%) 2

References

1
Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

3
Guideline

Serious Comorbidities in Chronic Conditions

Praxis Medical Insights: Practical Summaries of Clinical Guidelines, 2025

4
Research

Prevalence of selected chronic conditions: United States, 1990-1992.

Vital and health statistics. Series 10, Data from the National Health Survey, 1997

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Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.

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