{"id":9405,"date":"2025-03-01T13:55:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T18:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/2017chronicdiseases\/"},"modified":"2025-03-02T00:21:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T05:21:47","slug":"2017chronicdiseases","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/dpc\/2017chronicdiseases\/","title":{"rendered":"dpc\/2017chronicdiseases ~  Chronic Diseases in Delaware  &#8211; Delaware Health and Social Services &#8211; State of Delaware"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-swiftype-index=\"true\">\n\n\n\n\n\n  <br>\n\n\n  \n\n\n  <div class=\"container\" id=\"main_header\">\n\n\n    <!-- BEGIN readspeaker div -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"rs_skip rsbtn rs_preserve\" id=\"readspeaker_button1\">\n\n\n      <a accesskey=\"L\" class=\"rsbtn_play\" href=\"https:\/\/app-na.readspeaker.com\/cgi-bin\/rsent?customerid=7262&#038;lang=en_us&#038;readid=main_content&#038;url=https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/dpc\/2017chronicdiseases.html\" title=\"Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker\">\n\n\n        <span class=\"rsbtn_left rsimg rspart\"><span class=\"rsbtn_text\"><span>Listen<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\n\n        <span class=\"rsbtn_right rsimg rsplay rspart\"><\/span>\n\n\n      <\/a>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <!-- END readspeaker div -->\n\n\n\n\n\n    \n\n\n    <header class=\"pull-left\">\n\n\n      <h1><!--[type=EDIT name=\"Page Title\"]--><\/h1><h1>Delaware Prevalence of Select Chronic Diseases and Conditions<!--[END]--><\/h1><\/header>\n\n\n  <\/div><br>\n\n\n \n\n\n  <div class=\"container\">\n\n\n    <div class=\"row\">\n\n\n      <div class=\"col-md-3\" id=\"leftCol\">\n\n\n        <div class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\">\n\n\n          <div class=\"panel sectionmenu_panel\">\n\n\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\">\n\n\n              <p class=\"panel-title\"><a class=\"agency_nav\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapseOne\"><strong><i class=\"fa fa-align-justify fa-fw\"><\/i> Public Health Menu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n            <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n            <div class=\"panel-collapse collapse in\" id=\"collapseOne\">\n\n\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" id=\"clf_nav\">\n\n\n                  <ul class=\"nav nav-stacked nav-pills-clf\" id=\"agency_sidebar\">\n    <li><a href=\"\/dph\/\"><h2>Home <i class=\"fa fa-home fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a><\/li>\n    <li class=\"toplevel\"><a data-parent=\"#agency_sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#HomeMenu\"><h2>About <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2><\/a>\n      <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"HomeMenu\">\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/about.html\">About DPH<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a href=\"\/dph\/sections.html\">Sections &#038; 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height: 461px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Depressive Disorders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The BRFS asks respondents if they have ever been diagnosed with a depressive disorder, including depression, major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression.\u00a0 In 2022, <strong>19.9 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults said yes, they had been told by a doctor they had a depressive disorder.\u00a0 Women were more likely to report a depressive disorder (24.4 percent) than men (14.9 percent), and that difference is statistically significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>There were no statistically significant differences by age, gender, or educational level.\u00a0 \u00a0However, non-Hispanic whites had a significantly higher prevalence than any other racial or ethnic group.\u00a0 Adults in the lowest income ranges had the highest levels of depressive disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Asthma &#038; COPD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Two questions were asked about asthma:\u00a0 1) Have you ever been told by a doctor or health professional that you have asthma, and 2) Do you still have asthma?\u00a0 \u00a0About 15.4 percent of Delaware adults reported in 2022 that they had &#8220;ever been told&#8221; they had asthma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>When the two questions are combined, the &#8220;current asthma&#8221; prevalence for 2022 is <strong>9.9 percent<\/strong> of the state&#8217;s adult population.\u00a0 \u00a0Another 3.6 percent of adults report formerly have asthma.\u00a0 Current asthma is slightly more common among adult women (12.5 percent) than men (7.0 percent).\u00a0 \u00a0Current asthma is also higher among Black adults (12.7 percent) than among white (9.3 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about asthma in Delaware, read our report on <a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/dph\/pdf\/asthmaburdenupdate16.pdf\"><em>The Burden of Asthma in Delaware<\/em>, revised in March of 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, about\u00a0<strong>7.0 percen<\/strong>t of Delaware adults reported having been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, or chronic bronchitis.\u00a0 There were no significant differences by gender or race\/ethnicity, but the risk of these lung conditions increased with age among Delaware adults ages 55-64, 10.8 percent reported having COPD, compared to 11.0 percent among older adults (over age 65).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Skin Cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The BRFS asks respondents if they have ever been told they had skin cancer, and in 2022,\u00a0<strong>6.3 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults reported having been diagnosed with skin cancer. Like many of the other chronic conditions, skin cancer is age-related. Less than 1.0 percent of respondents under age 45 reported a diagnosis of skin cancer, compared to 7.6 percent of adults age 55-64, and 14.2 percent of adults 65 and older.\u00a0 Prevalence of skin cancer was highest among non-Hispanic white respondents (9.5 percent), compared to less than 1 percent of Black or Hispanic\/Latino adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>About <strong>8.7 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults reported that they had been told they had another type of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on cancer in Delaware, please read the latest <a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/dph\/pdf\/im2015_2019.pdf\"><em><strong>Cancer Incidence and Mortality<\/strong><\/em><\/a> report<a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/dph\/pdf\/im2015_2019.pdf\">.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Stroke<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, <strong>3.8 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults reported having had a stroke.\u00a0 During the period from 2012 through 2022, the prevalence of reporting &#8220;ever having a stroke&#8221; has stayed approximately the same, fluctuating between 3.2 percent and 4.0 percent.\u00a0 As age increases, so does the risk of having a stroke. \u00a0Delaware adults with a disability were more likely to report ever having a stroke, compared to adults without a disability.\u00a0 Delaware adults with hypertension were more likely to report ever having a stroke, compared to those reporting normal blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>There were no significant differences in prevalence of &#8220;ever had a stroke&#8221; by gender or race\/ethnicity.\u00a0 \u00a0However, Delaware adults with lower educational levels and lower incomes had higher prevalence of stroke than did adults with higher education and income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Cardiovascular Disease and Heart Attacks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, <strong>6.6 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults reported that they had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) or they had a myocardial infarction (heart attack).\u00a0 \u00a0Men reported having a higher prevalence of having coronary heart disease or having had a myocardial infarction than women (7.8 percent vs 5.4 percent). Age was a significant factor for increased burden of cardiovascular disease. Less than 1 percent of young adults reported ever having a heart attack or CHD, compared with 8.4 percent of adults age 55-64, and 14.4 percent of those ages 65 and older.\u00a0 This does not provide the total impact of heart disease and heart attacks, because the survey only includes survivors of heart attacks.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>According to the 2022 BRFS, 4.5 percent of Delaware\u2019s adult population were diagnosed with coronary heart disease or angina. There has been no significant change in this number over the previous five years. As age increases, so does the risk of developing coronary heart disease or angina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>High Blood Pressure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, <strong>36.2 percent<\/strong> (about 288,000 people) of Delaware residents ages 18 and older reported they had been told by a health care professional that they have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>More details about hypertension are available on our <a href=\"hypertensionupdate.html\">separate BRFS report on the 2019 data<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>High Cholesterol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, <strong>37.7 percent<\/strong> of Delaware residents ages 18 years and older reported they had been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol. That means that an estimated 260,000 Delaware adults know they have high cholesterol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>More details about high blood cholesterol are available on our <a href=\"cholesterol_update.html\">separate BRFS report on the 2021 data.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Arthritis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, about one-fourth of the adult population in Delaware (<strong>27.7 percent<\/strong>) reported having been diagnosed with arthritis.\u00a0 Women had a significantly higher prevalence of arthritis (31.1 percent) than men (21.8 percent). Non-Hispanic White adults had a significantly higher prevalence (33.0 percent) than Non-Hispanic Black adults (25.7 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>As would be expected, the prevalence of arthritis increases dramatically with age. While only 13.5 percent of 35-44 year-old adults reported having been\u00a0 diagnosed with arthritis, the prevalence increases steadily with age. About 26.4 percent of 45-54 year-old adults reported arthritis, and the prevalence increased to 37.4 percent among 55-64 year-olds, and 53.8 percent among Delawareans age 65 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, the BRFS asked if their arthritis limited their ability to participate in usual activities. About <strong>11.2 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults reported that they had been diagnosed with arthritis <em><strong>and<\/strong><\/em> it limited their usual activities. About <strong>8.3 percent<\/strong> of Delaware adults said their arthritis limited their ability to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3>Kidney Disease<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The 2022 survey asked if respondents had ever been told they have kidney disease, <em><strong>not<\/strong><\/em> including kidney stones, bladder infections, or incontinence.\u00a0 Slightly more than <strong>4.4 percent<\/strong>\u00a0of Delaware adults reported having been diagnosed at some time with kidney disease.\u00a0 The prevalence was identical for men and women, and there were no significant differences by race\/ethnicity.\u00a0 \u00a0Age was a significant factor: 5.5 percent of adults age 55-64 and 9.6 percent of those 65 and older reported having kidney disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11px;\"><strong><a href=\"brfsurveys.html\">Return to the main Delaware BRFS page.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n  <!--[END]-->\n\n\n  \n\n\n      <\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><!-- \/container -->\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen Delaware Prevalence of Select Chronic Diseases and Conditions Public Health Menu Home About About DPH Sections &#038; Programs Office Locations Contact Info Calendar Services A-Z Services Air &#038; Water Quality Birth, Death, &#038; Marriage Records Clinics Health Data &#038; Statistics Emergency Preparedness Health &#038; Wellness Healthy Homes Healthy Workplaces Laboratory Restaurant Inspections Screening and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":9401,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9405","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10644,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9405\/revisions\/10644"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}