Latest health fast facts

10th

Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common type of cancer and the third most common causes of cancer deaths in the United States.

Source: National Cancer Institute

 

Each year in the United States, an estimated 100,000–160,000 adults ages 60 and older and an estimated 58,000–80,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized due to RSV.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

In a 2024 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, 95% of adults believe knowing their family health history is somewhat or very important. But only about 15% of adults are actively collecting that information.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

12%

As of 2018, by age 50, more than 12% of U.S. adults have osteoporosis at the femur neck, in the lumbar spine, or in both. The rate was higher among women (19.6%) than men (4.4%) .

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

73M

By 2023, an estimated 73 million people in the United States will be 65 or older, and many will need daily help from a caregiver. In fact, more than two-thirds of us will likely need assistance with tasks at some point in our lives.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2.2M

In 2023, an estimated 2.2 million people ages 12 to 17 had a substance use disorder in the past year.

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

7/10

In a 2023 national survey, 7 out of every 10 adults who ever had a substance use problem considered themselves to be in recovery or recovered.

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

50%–75%

Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders. It often begins during adolescence or in middle age (40–50 years old). 50% to 70% of cases are inherited (run in families).

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

76%

As of 2022, 76% of all people with HIV (29.8 million people) were accessing antiretroviral therapy.

Source: HIV.gov

 

The three oral conditions that most affect overall health and quality of life are cavities, severe gum disease, and severe tooth loss.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

An estimated 12% of people in the United States have IBS. It affects about twice as many women as men, and IBS symptoms may be worse during menstruation. IBS is most often found in people younger than 50.

Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

 

Feet are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Source: MedlinePlus

 

About 3 million Americans have glaucoma. It is the second-leading cause of blindness worldwide.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

6.7M

Each year, indoor and outdoor air pollution combined are responsible for 6.7 million deaths worldwide.

Source: World Health Organization

 

From 2008 to 2019, the average number of cardiovascular-related deaths linked to extreme heat in the United States each year was about 1,651. That number is expected to grow to 4,320 deaths per year by 2065 due to rising temperatures.

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

5%

About 5% of Americans with diabetes have type 1.

Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

 

As of September 2023, more than 300 research papers have been published using Sister Study data.

Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

2,500 years

Acupuncture has existed in some form for at least 2,500 years and is part of traditional Chinese medicine. It gained worldwide popularity in the 1970s, and as of 2012, 6.4% of adults in the United States reported using it.

Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

 

ADHD medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are considered safe for children ages 6 and older.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

 

Since the Sister Study began 20 years ago, 9.1% of participants have developed breast cancer—that’s 4,628 cases.

Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

 

It's estimated that drowsy driving may be involved in more than 6,000 fatal vehicle crashes per year.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Hot flashes are caused by special chemical messengers in the brain that send signals to blood vessels to flush the skin, causing sweating. About 10% of women will have more than seven hot flashes per day during menopause.

Source: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation

 

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib or AF, affects more than 2 million adults in the United States and is one of the most common types of arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms). The risk of developing AFib increases with age, so as the average age in the United States increases, more people will be affected by this condition.

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

 

Rett syndrome is named after Andreas Rett, an Austrian physician who published the first description of the condition in 1966.

Source: International Rett Syndrome Foundation

 

Pain is the most common medical complaint of older Americans. Causes of pain in older adults include joint pain, postsurgical pain, chronic disease, and conditions associated with aging.

Source: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

 

In 2018-2019, among adolescents in the United States ages 12 to 17, 15.1% had a major depressive episode.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

One of the first known prosthetics was a wooden and leather toe found on an Egyptian mummy that dates to 950-710 B.C.

Source: University of Manchester

30+

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) include more than 30 conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and muscles that control jaw movement.

Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

 

Red blood cells that are "sickle" shaped block blood flow through the body, causing recurring pain episodes.

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

 

When both parents have sickle cell trait, they have a 25% (1 in 4) chance of having a baby with sickle cell disease with each pregnancy.

Source: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.

 

Hearing loss affects approximately 37.5 million people in the United States ages 18 years or older. One in three people ages 65 to 74, and nearly half of people ages 75 and older have hearing loss.

Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Epigenetics, /,epəjən'ediks/ (noun): the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself

Source: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

NICHD and Waltham researchers partnered together to explore the impact of interactions between animals and their human companions.

Source: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

About 7.7% of all people diagnosed with migraine have chronic migraine.

Source: The American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study

 

Pulse oximeters as we know them today were invented in the mid-1970s by Takuo Aoyagi, a Japanese electrical engineer. Aoyagi was inspired by the ear oximeters worn by military pilots in World War II to signal when they were at risk of hypoxemia. Pulse oximeters began selling worldwide in the mid-1980s.

Source: National Library of Medicine

90.9%

The five-year survival rate for localized-stage colorectal cancer (the earliest stage) is about 90.9%.

Source: Cancer.gov

 

The median age for colorectal cancer diagnosis is 66 years old, with most cases diagnosed in people ages 65 to 74.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Fermented foods such as aged cheeses, pickled foods, and alcohol are a common trigger for those who suffer from migraine attacks.

Source: MedlinePlus

 

Hobbies are fun, and they’re also an important part of healthy aging. Research shows that older adults who engage in personally meaningful activities live longer, are less likely to develop certain diseases, and are happier, less depressed, and more resilient.

Source: National Institute on Aging

1/3

1 in 3 adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older are socially isolated.

Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

10%

Did you know? Ten percent of children ages 5 to 15 have migraine. Migraine Trainer® is an app developed by NINDS to help teens understand possible causes of their migraine attacks and create an individual migraine management plan with support from their parents and health care providers.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

 

A typical migraine attack can last between 4 and 72 hours if it’s not treated.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

1/5

Childhood obesity affects 1 in 5 children in the United States.

Source: CDC

20%

Less than 20% of reported COVID-19 cases in the United States are in children under age 18.

Source: CDC

73%

In an NIH study of more than 8,000 women, 73% gained more than the recommended amount of weight.

Source: NICHD

400K

An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with MS.

Source: NINDS

1/5

In 2020, 1 in 5 adults experienced a mental illness, but less than half of them received treatment for it.

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

10K

A rare disease is a disease or condition that impacts fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. However, there are more than 10,000 known rare diseases that together affect millions of people in the United States.

Source: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

Source: CDC

 

Only about 3 people out of a million are diagnosed with relapsing polychondritis each year.

Source: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

25M

In the United States, nearly 25 million people have asthma, of which 5.5 million are children.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

36K

The flu kills more than 36,000 people each year.

Source: National Institutes of Health

73%

73% of burns occur in the home.

Source: American Burn Association

68° 

Hypothermia doesn’t just occur in frigid weather. Living in a poorly-heated home kept below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) can be a risk for older populations.

Source: National Institute on Aging

 

When To Test also has a tool for organizations like schools and workplaces and resources to help them develop and implement testing programs for COVID-19.

Source: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

 

Pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk for preterm birth.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Did you know? Vaccines can help protect you and your developing baby against serious diseases. Talk to your health care provider about which ones are right for you.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

In the U.S., about 6% to 9% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  

Did you know? Females have two copies of the X chromosome, while males have one X and one Y chromosome.

Source: MedlinePlus

15%

Over 15% of Americans aged 18 or older report having had a migraine or a severe headache in the last three months.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease among children.

Source: National Cancer Institute

 

Most cases of RMS are diagnosed in children and teens, with more than half in children under 10.

Source: National Cancer Institute

 

Headaches overall account for about 3% of all emergency department visits annually in the United States.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Certain foods—like alcohol, chocolate, cheese, and yeast—can trigger migraines, especially when combined with other triggers.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, begins in children and adolescents before they turn 16.

Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

 

A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament, which connects bones at a joint. Ankle and wrist sprains are common. Strains are a torn muscle or tendon that often happen while playing a sport. Back and hamstring muscle strains are common.

Source: MedlinePlus

   

Most people with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed before age 2, but some people are also diagnosed as adults.

Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation