The Impact of Chronic Disease – Part 1

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In 2005, 133 million Americans were living with at least one chronic condition and this this number is expected to grow to 157 million by 2020. While 63 million people had multiple chronic illnesses in 2005, with that number predicted to reach 81 million in 2020. That is just the tip of the fall-out that is expected to impact our healthcare system from those with chronic diseases.

A recent article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine indicates the number of Americans with multiple chronic diseases or conditions is a staggering 47 percent. Consider this…the average Medicare patient with 1 chronic condition sees 4 physicians a year, while those with 5 or more chronic conditions see 14 different physicians a year!

Here’s the real clincher…the U.S. population is expected to increase 18 percent from 2005 to 2025, however the population over age sixty-five will grow by 73 percent.
The over-sixty-five group seeks care from generalists at twice the rate of people under age sixty-five!

It has been projected that, by 2020, chronic diseases will account for almost three-quarters of all deaths worldwide. Obesity, inactivity and sedentary lifestyle, along with poor dietary food choices contribute to a significant percent of the chronic diseases.

The financial implications related to these staggering numbers is a healthcare system which will have difficulty sustaining itself.

Read The Economic Drain of Chronic Disease – Part 2

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Jeff Gilliam, PT, PhD, OCS

Jeff Gilliam PT PhD, OCS: is a weight loss specialist, who has studied extensively in the areas of health behavior, exercise physiology and nutritional biochemistry at the University of Florida. Jeff has taught a course at the University of Florida called ’Research Applications to Obesity and Weight Loss’. He has also taught courses for the DPT program at UF in Health Promotion and Wellness’ and ‘Evidence Based Practice III’. He has presented on a national level on topics related to diseases related to obesity and changing behavior to facilitate a healthy lifestyle. His PhD research was in the area of effective behavioral interventions for obesity and its associated diseases. He is founder of Physicians’ Choice for Weight Loss, a successful lifestyle/weight loss program, which can be found in over 50 clinics in the eastern US. He currently is clinical director of ReQuest Physical Therapy (Gainesville, Florida) and incorporates his lifestyle/weight loss program into his patients’ physical therapy to help them achieve their healthiest body weight. Jeff Gilliam is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties

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