Chronic Disease

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability, and death in Virginia and in the United States. Chronic diseases are conditions that last one year or more and need ongoing medical attention. They can also limit activities of daily living. Prevention and management of chronic diseases should address key risk behaviors including smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Fast Facts:

Prevalence
  • Prevalence of diabetes among Virginia adults has been steadily increasing, from 10.4% in 2016 to 12.8% in 2022.

Hospitalizations

  • In 2022, there were nearly 1.7 million hospitalizations among Virginians related to
    12 Alzheimer’s Disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, High Blood Cholesterol, Hypertension, Ischemic Heart Disease, non-Alzheimer’s Dementia, Stroke
    common chronic disease conditions.
  • Hospitalizations for most chronic conditions increase with age and are highest among older adults; however, the highest rate of hospitalizations for asthma occurs among younger adults 18 to 44 years old.

Deaths

  • In 2022, there were 54,422 deaths among Virginians related to common chronic conditions.
  • Males experienced higher rates of death for cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
  • Females experienced higher rates of death for Alzheimer's disease & related dementias, asthma, and stroke.

Use the buttons below to explore the Chronic Disease in Virginia data dashboard. It shows the burden of common chronic conditions among Virginians. The dashboard includes three data sources - prevalence, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Looking for more information about chronic disease data? Find out about the data used in this dashboard, download data from the dashboard, or submit a data request for additional data not found in the dashboard.

Last Updated: October 2, 2024