Latest health fast facts

2.2M

In 2023, an estimated 2.2 million people ages 12 to 17 had a substance use disorder in the past year.

85%

In 2023, around 85% of people ages 12 and older in the United States with substance use disorders did not receive treatment in the past year.

50%–75%

Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders. It often begins during adolescence or in middle age (40–50 years old). 50% to 70% of cases are inherited (run in families).

Parkinson's disease (PD) is named after James Parkinson, the British doctor who described the condition and its symptoms in an essay titled "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy," published in 1817. While others had written about some of the symptoms before, Dr. Parkinson brought them all together and established PD as a recognized medical condition.

The three oral conditions that most affect overall health and quality of life are cavities, severe gum disease, and severe tooth loss.

You are born with about 10,000 taste buds, but you may start to lose them after age 50.

Feet are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

14%

Infection and sepsis accounted for around 14% of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States from 2017 to 2019.

6.7M

Each year, indoor and outdoor air pollution combined are responsible for 6.7 million deaths worldwide.

90%

Nearly 90% of people living in urban areas around the world are affected by air pollution.

5%

About 5% of Americans with diabetes have type 1.

1980s

ADHD wasn't called "ADHD" until the late 1980s.

2,500 years

Acupuncture has existed in some form for at least 2,500 years and is part of traditional Chinese medicine. It gained worldwide popularity in the 1970s, and as of 2012, 6.4% of adults in the United States reported using it.

Between 1950 and 2019, deaths from cardiovascular disease in the United States fell by about 73%.

Since the Sister Study began 20 years ago, 9.1% of participants have developed breast cancer—that’s 4,628 cases.

Fruit flies share about 60% of their genes with humans.

Hot flashes are caused by special chemical messengers in the brain that send signals to blood vessels to flush the skin, causing sweating. About 10% of women will have more than seven hot flashes per day during menopause.

As of 2021,  29.5 million people aged 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder in the past year.

Rett syndrome is named after Andreas Rett, an Austrian physician who published the first description of the condition in 1966.

Dr. Koob coined the word hyperkatifeia to describe the negative emotional state associated with drug withdrawal. This state may be caused by changes in the brain's reward and stress systems and is thought to drive alcohol misuse via negative reinforcement (drinking to feel relief from the symptoms of hyperkatifeia).

In 2018-2019, among adolescents in the United States ages 12 to 17, 15.1% had a major depressive episode.

Autoimmune diseases affect more than 23.5 million Americans. Certain groups of people are at greater risk for some conditions. For example, lupus is more severe for African American and Hispanic people, while type 1 diabetes is more common in White people.

30+

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) include more than 30 conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and muscles that control jaw movement.

“Severe” hearing loss is the ability to only hear sounds once they are at least 71 to 90 decibels (for example, a vacuum cleaner or alarm clock). “Profound” hearing loss is the ability to only hear sounds at least 91 decibels (such as a subway, passing motorcycle, or gas lawnmower).

When both parents have sickle cell trait, they have a 25% (1 in 4) chance of having a baby with sickle cell disease with each pregnancy.

Psoriasis may be triggered by stress, injury to the skin, cold weather, illness (if it affects the immune system), allergies, or certain foods and alcohol.

Epigenetics, /,epəjən'ediks/ (noun): the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s.

About 7.7% of all people diagnosed with migraine have chronic migraine.

A symptom of colorectal cancer may be no symptoms at all, so discuss preventative screenings with your doctor.

90.9%

The five-year survival rate for localized-stage colorectal cancer (the earliest stage) is about 90.9%.

Myth: Only people with light skin need to wear sunscreen.

Fact: All skin tones are at risk of sun damage and developing cancer. Melanin—the natural pigment in skin, hair, and eyes—protects skin cells by absorbing UV rays. Darker-skinned people are less prone to sunburn but can still develop skin cancer.

Fermented foods such as aged cheeses, pickled foods, and alcohol are a common trigger for those who suffer from migraine attacks.

5M

Dementia likely affects more than 5 million people in the United States, which is expected to increase as the population ages.

1/3

1 in 3 adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older are socially isolated.

3.5K

There are more than 3,500 types of mosquitoes.

A typical migraine attack can last between 4 and 72 hours if it’s not treated.

Adults need around 2.5 hours of moderate activity per week, about 20 minutes per day, to stay healthy.

20%

Less than 20% of reported COVID-19 cases in the United States are in children under age 18.

Long COVID can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

400K

An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with MS.

1/3

During parts of the pandemic, more than a third of American adults reported having symptoms of anxiety.

10K

A rare disease is a disease or condition that impacts fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. However, there are more than 10,000 known rare diseases that together affect millions of people in the United States.

Less than a quarter of children ages 6 to 17 get 60 minutes of exercise each day.

Only about 3 people out of a million are diagnosed with relapsing polychondritis each year.

People with underlying conditions are at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

36K

The flu kills more than 36,000 people each year.

30%

Approximately 30% of children with eczema also have a food allergy. Studies show severe eczema in young children is associated with increased risk of developing asthma later in life.

68° 

Hypothermia doesn’t just occur in frigid weather. Living in a poorly-heated home kept below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) can be a risk for older populations.

1/10

1 in 10 people are affected by a rare disease.

Pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk for preterm birth.

1/25

Preeclampsia happens in about 1 in 25 pregnancies in the United States.

In the U.S., about 6% to 9% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes.

2X

In the U.S., stillbirths are more than twice as likely among Black women than among white women.

15%

Over 15% of Americans aged 18 or older report having had a migraine or a severe headache in the last three months.

4X

Black women are three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women.

Most cases of RMS are diagnosed in children and teens, with more than half in children under 10.

15k  

About 15,000 children under age 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States.

Certain foods—like alcohol, chocolate, cheese, and yeast—can trigger migraines, especially when combined with other triggers.

The symptoms of juvenile arthritis may last a few months or years, or throughout a child's life.

A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament, which connects bones at a joint. Ankle and wrist sprains are common. Strains are a torn muscle or tendon that often happen while playing a sport. Back and hamstring muscle strains are common.

Sports injuries are first treated with
R-I-C-E: Rest, Ice, Compression (pressure on the injury), Elevation (raise the injured area above the heart).

For adults, the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables is 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in kids and teens, but it can develop at any age.

Thyroid hormones affect a person's physical energy, temperature, weight, and mood.

Ovarian cancer causes more deaths each year in the U.S. than any other gynecologic cancer.

49%

The five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 49%.