CHRONIC CONDITIONS FYI
AIDS
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More than 2,200 cases of HIV/AIDS have been identified in Nebraska.
In 2014, Nebraska AIDS Project administered 1,648 Free HIV tests to individuals throughout Nebraska.
Through this testing, NAP identified 16 individuals living with HIV.
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
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Approximately 95 people in Nebraska have ALS.
As many as 800 Nebraskans may currently be affected by ALS.
Because of donations from the Ice Bucket Challenge, the ALS Association was able to commit $21.7 million
to support six programs and initiatives to expedite the search for treatments and a cure for amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis.
Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 75.
The average life expectancy for a person with ALS is 2-5 years.
ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries.
Currently there is no cure for ALS.
Alzheimer’s Disease
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More than 5 million Americans are living with the disease.
Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Alzheimer’s disease is the only disease of the top 10 causes of death that cannot be slowed, stopped, or
prevented.
From 2000-2013, while deaths from other diseases decreased significantly, Alzheimer’s deaths increased
71%.
2015 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures reports that Alzheimer’s kills more than breast cancer and
prostate cancer combined.
Statewide, 37,000 individuals have a diagnosis for Alzheimer’s or related dementia.
There are 80,000 family caregivers statewide, and 110,000 people are affected by Alzheimer’s.
One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
Arthritis
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Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems, and is the nation’s leading cause of
disability.
There are nearly 53 million people in the United States who have arthritis. Nearly 300,000 children under
the age of 15 are affected by juvenile arthritis. 1,800 children in Nebraska are affected.
There are close to 340,000 people in Nebraska suffering from arthritis.
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis.
These diseases may cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints and other supporting structures of the
body such as muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. Some forms can also affect other parts of the body,
including various internal organs.
Asthma/Lung Disease
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More than 35 million Americans are living with a chronic lung disease.
Lung disease is the number three killer in the United States, responsible for 1 in 6 deaths.
Approximately 200,000 people in Nebraska have some form of lung disease.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and is the leading cancer killer of both men and
women in the United States.
Smoking is projected to cause the premature death of more than 38,000 current Nebraska youth.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD (most commonly emphysema and chronic bronchitis) is
the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
Approximately 24 million U.S. adults have evidence of impaired lung function, indicating an underdiagnosis of COPD.
Affecting more than 7 million children, asthma is a leading serious chronic illness among American kids.
Birth: Prematurity
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Every minute of every day, a baby is born prematurely. Babies who are born too small, too soon, may die
or suffer life-long health consequences.
Each year, there are nearly 500,000 premature births nationwide; there are more than 3,000 premature
births in Nebraska.
$300 million a year in lost production time, medical expenses and worker compensation can be attributed
to premature birth.
Breast Cancer
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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Nebraska. Approximately 6,200 people in
Nebraska have breast cancer.
An estimated 1,240 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year and 200 people will die of
the disease in the state.
More than 230,000 women and 2,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. this year.
About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.
The majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no significant family history, and no other
known risk factors.
Death rates for African American women are 44 percent higher than for white women.
Cerebral Palsy
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Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disorder of the motor (muscle) control areas of the developing brain.
Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during
fetal development; before, during, or shortly after birth; during infancy; or early childhood.
An estimated 764,000 children and adults in the United States manifest one or more of the symptoms of
cerebral palsy.
Currently, about 10,000 babies born in the United States will develop cerebral palsy each year. In
addition, some 1,200 – 1,500 preschool age children are recognized each year to have cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is the most common motor disorder in children and is second only to autism as the most
common disability among children.
At this time, there is no cure for the developmental brain damage that causes cerebral palsy; however,
training and therapy can help improve muscle function and coordination.
Crohn’s & Colitis
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Approximately 1.6 million people nationwide have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), affecting mainly
those between ages 15 and 35.
There are nearly 11,000 Nebraskans that have IBD.
IBD tends to run in families. A person’s risk of developing IBD is 10x greater if a relative has it. If the
relative is a brother or sister, the risk is 30x greater.
IBD is largely a disease of the developed world, found principally in the U.S. and Europe.
Cystic Fibrosis
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Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of nearly 30,000
children and adults in the United States.
More than 10 million Americans are unknowing symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene.
CF occurs roughly in one of 3,300 births. About 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
In 1955, children with CF usually did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Now, many people
with the disease can expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.
Diabetes
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20.6 million Americans have diabetes, including nearly 150,000 people in Nebraska.
5-10% of all diagnosed diabetes cases are type 1 diabetes in the U.S.
90-95% of all diagnosed diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes in the U.S.
Complications from diabetes include blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, nerve damage,
amputation and pregnancy complications.
It’s estimated that 7 million Americans have undiagnosed diabetes and 79 million have pre-diabetes.
As many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 if present trends continue.
Hemophilia & Other Inherited Bleeding Disorders
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A deficiency of clotting factor defines Hemophilia. It is a hereditary disorder in which the clotting ability of
the blood is impaired and excessive bleeding results. Uncontrolled internal bleeding can result in pain,
swelling, and permanent damage, especially to joints and muscles.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, factor products were manufactured using donations of human
blood. These donations contained the HIV virus which causes AIDS. As a result, approximately 60% of
hemophiliacs who were treated contracted the HIV virus. The death of thousands of people with
hemophilia drove the medical and scientific community to create safe factor products.
Like Hemophilia, von Willebrand disease is a hereditary deficiency or abnormality of clotting factor in the
blood. In this case, it is the von Willebrand factor which is a protein that affects platelet function. It’s the
most common hereditary disorder of platelet function, affecting both women and men. The disease is
estimated to occur in 1% to 2% of the population.
Hemophilia is treated by infusing a factor product that replaces the patient’s missing clotting factor. The
amount infused depends upon the severity of the bleeding episode, the site of the bleed, and the weight
of the patient. Factor products are intended for home use and can be self-administered (self-infused),
either on a regular basis to prevent bleeding or at the first sign of bleeding.
The treatment of hemophilia ranks among the most expensive chronic diseases in the United States. New
technology has led to remarkable advances in improving the safety of new blood products, but these
technologies have come at ever-increasing costs. Current factor concentrates are among the most costly
therapies in the world, with a total annual cost per person ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.
Complications such as major surgery, undergoing immune tolerance for an inhibitor, HIV/AIDS and/or
hepatitis treatments, can increase these costs exponentially.
Hospice
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Is a team-based, patient-centered service that was utilized by more than 54% of dying Nebraskans last
year.
Is a team of professionals that includes a doctor, nurse, social worker, chaplain (if desired), other
specialists as needed, and volunteers.
Addresses not only pain and symptom issues, but also the social, emotional, spiritual and other issues that
affect quality of life.
Provides care for all ages.
Kidney Disease
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More than 15 percent of Nebraskans are affected by kidney disease.
Over 300,000 Nebraskans either have or are at high risk for developing kidney disease.
Close to 20 people will die today waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney or kidney/pancreas transplant.
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney disease.
Leukemia/Lymphoma
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More than 1,000,000 Americans are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, Hodgkin or nonHodgkin lymphoma or myeloma
In 2012, an estimated 350 people died from a blood cancer in Nebraska; approximately 53,000 died
nationwide.
Someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer every four minutes.
Leukemia causes almost one-third of all cancer deaths in children and adolescents younger than 15 years
of age.
Multiple Sclerosis
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Multiple sclerosis affects more than 2 million people worldwide.
More than 3,000 Nebraskans are living with MS.
Symptoms can include fatigue, numbness, problems with walking and balance, bladder/bowel
dysfunction, vision problems, dizziness, sexual dysfunction, pain, cognitive challenges, and depression.
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the
flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but
advances in research and treatment are moving closer to a world free of MS.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more
women than men being diagnosed with the disease.
Muscular Dystrophy
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Muscular Dystrophy is often used as a blanket term to refer to a group of progressive muscle wasting &
neuromuscular diseases that can include; ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Duchenne MD, Limb-Girdle MD,
Friedreich’s Ataxia, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Myotonic MD, just to name a few.
An estimated 1,000 Nebraskans are currently living with a neuromuscular disease.
Muscular Dystrophy can affect people of all ages. Although some forms become apparent in infancy or
childhood, others may not appear until middle age or later.
Individuals affected by any of the 43 neuromuscular diseases in MDA’s program have access to a
nationwide network of some 200 hospital-affiliated clinics and 40 ALS research and clinical care centers
staffed by top health professionals.