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Which chronic health conditions cause activity limitations most often?
Chronic health conditions can cause activity limitations. Chronic health conditions cause activity limitations an estimated 61,047,000 times in the U.S. population. The five conditions causing the most limitations are: heart disease (7,932,000); back problems (7,672,000); arthritis (5,721,000); asthma (2,592,000); and diabetes (2,569,000).
The conditions causing people to have activity limitations in major activity most often are: mental retardation (87.5 percent of people with the condition have a limitation); multiple sclerosis (69.4% ); malignant neoplasm of the stomach, intestine, colon, and rectum (62.1%); complete and partial paralysis of extremities (60.7%); malignant neoplasm of the lung, bronchus, and other respiratory sites (60.6%); and blindness in both eyes (60.3%).
The top ten chronic conditions that cause activity limitations...
| Chronic condition | Number of conditions causing limitations |
| Heart disease | 7,932,000 |
| Back problems | 7,672,000 |
| Arthritis | 5,721,000 |
| Asthma | 2,592,000 |
| Diabetes | 2,569,000 |
| Mental disorders | 2,035,000 |
| Disorders of the eye | 1,577,000 |
| Learning disabilities and Mental retardation | 1,575,000 |
| Cancer | 1,342,000 |
| Visual impairments | 1,294,000 |
and the top ten most frequently limiting conditions.
| Chronic condition | Percent of conditions causing major limitations |
| Mental retardation | 87.5% |
| Multiple sclerosis | 69.4% |
| Malignant neoplasm of stomach, intestine, colon, and rectum | 62.1% |
| Paralysis of extremities, complete or partial | 60.7% |
| Malignant neoplasm of lung, bronchus, and other respiratory sites | 60.6% |
| Blindness, both eyes | 60.3% |
| Other deformity or orthopedic impairment | 54.4% |
| Paralysis of other sites, complete or partial | 48.0% |
| Other diseases of the heart, excluding hypertension | 47.8% |
| Epilepsy | 44.4% |
Source: LaPlante, 1996; NCHS, 1996
Survey: NHIS 1990-1992