40% of California Adults Have Chronic Illness or Disease

Over 40 percent of California adults have a chronic health condition, according to a report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

The most prevalent chronic health condition is high blood pressure. Approximately one in four–7.6 million adults–suffer from the malady.

The California Health Report stated that a shocking 45% of adults living in the Inland Empire, San Joaquin Valley, and Northern and Sierra counties had chronic illness or disease. The more upscale Orange County has only 36% of adults suffering from chronic health problems, suggesting that affluence has an effect on decreasing chronic illness.

The UCLA Center report further states that “Chronic conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., as well as the biggest contributor to health care costs. But there is a wide variation in their incidence, with major differences depending on age, income, race and ethnicity, and insurance status.”

An important factor revealed in the report also notes that many Californians with chronic conditions are not treating the illnesses because of the prohibitive cost of healthcare.