Alarming Surge: 25 Million Young people Now Living with Chronic Conditions

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): The prevalence of chronic conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, asthma, prediabetes, and depression or anxiety, has risen to unprecedented levels -- 30 per cent -- over the past twenty years in the US, according to a study. The study showed that nearly one-in-three young people or about 25 million young people ages 5 to 25 are estimated to now be living with these conditions that began in childhood. It is significantly affecting and limiting their lives.

“The prevalence of childhood conditions is currently higher than previous estimates suggest,” said lead author Lauren Wisk, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles, US. “Youth who are subject to socioeconomic vulnerability such as having less education, lower income, are on public insurance, or unemployed are all more likely to live with a chronic condition than youth with socioeconomic advantages,” Wisk added. For the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Academic Pediatrics, the researchers analysed data of about 236,500 participants in the US aged from 5 to 25 years.

They found that the frequency among children ages 5 to 17 years rose from about 23 per cent in 1999/2000 to more than 30 per cent by 2017/2018. This amounts to an estimated 130,000 additional children per year. Among young adults ages 18 to 25 years, the prevalence increased from 18.5 per cent to 29 per cent over the same period, for about an additional 80,000 young adults each year.

Nearly all of the conditions are treatable with access to high-quality healthcare, Wisk said. The researcher urged for greater investments in assisting these youth in engaging appropriately with healthcare across their lifespan to protect their health and well-being