Autoimmune Disease – National Stem Cell Foundation

Autoimmune Disease

50 million Americans, or 20% of the U.S. population, have an autoimmune disease. Almost 75% are women.
An estimated 4% of people worldwide have an autoimmune disease.

There are more than 100 identified autoimmune conditions that affect any system of the body.

The top 7 autoimmune disorders in terms of prevalence are:

Type 1 Diabetes
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Lupus
Crohn’s/Colitis
Psoriasis
Scleroderma

In the U.S.:

Autoimmunity is the second highest cause of chronic illness in the United States.
As a whole, autoimmune diseases represent one of the top 10 leading causes of death in girls and women up to age 65.
The direct annual cost of autoimmune disease treatment does not take into consideration the indirect cost of care and loss to society – under or unemployment, disability, loss of family income and the financial and emotional burden of caregiving.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a global epidemic and a significant health care crisis in the U.S.
29 million children and adults – 9.3% of the U.S. population – have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes (type 1 diabetes is autoimmune).
Every 23 seconds, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes.
An estimated 86 million Americans, ages 20 or older, have pre-diabetes – 90% don’t know it.
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, VVNative Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
African Americans and Hispanic Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, lower limb amputation and new cases of blindness among adults.
Medical expenditures for people with diabetes are 2.3 times higher than the general population.
The average price of insulin was 3 times higher in 2013 than it was in 2002.
One of every 10 healthcare dollars in the U.S. is spent directly on diabetes and its complications. One of every five healthcare dollars in the U.S. is spent on caring for people with diabetes.
The estimated direct cost of care for diabetes is $176 billion per year. The estimated cost of lost productivity is $69 billion per year.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

About 1.5 million people the U.S. have Rheumatoid Arthritis.
75% of people diagnosed with RA are women.
RA can be diagnosed at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 60.
300,000 children in the U.S. are affected by Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.
People with RA are 30% more likely to need help with personal care and twice as likely to have activity limitations than the general population. Arthritis overall is the leading cause of disability in the U.S.
The risk of heart attack or stroke in adults increases 60% over the general population one year after initial diagnosis.
The estimated direct cost of care for RA is $19 billion per year.

Multiple Sclerosis

A minimum 400,000 people in the U.S. – and at least 2.3 million people worldwide – have MS
11,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Women are two to three times more likely to have MS than men.
MS can be diagnosed at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40.
MS is the most disabling neurological condition of young adults worldwide.
Between 8,000 and 10,000 children in the U.S. have MS – another 10,000 to 15,000 have experienced at least one symptom suggestive of MS.
MS is twice as prevalent above the 37^th parallel – the northern U.S. and Canada in North America. Because the incidence of MS is higher in colder climates, people of Northern European descent have the highest risk of developing MS no matter where they live. People with the lowest risk of developing MS are Native Americans, Africans and Asians.
African-Americans diagnosed with MS have a greater risk of developing involvement of the optic nerve and spinal cord and are more likely to experience disability.
MS ranks second only to congestive heart failure in costliness per patient.
The estimated direct cost of care for MS is $28 billion per year.

Lupus

5 million people in the U.S. – and at least five million people worldwide – have a form of lupus.
16,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
90% of people diagnosed with lupus are women.
Lupus is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 44.
More than 60% of all lupus patients are women of color – African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Lupus affects 1 in 537 young African American women.
Lupus is a leading cause of premature cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and stroke among young women.
One in three people diagnosed with lupus have at least one other autoimmune disease and more than half have a relative with lupus.
The estimated direct cost of care for lupus is $31.5 billion per year.

Crohn's/Colitis

6 million people in the U.S. have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (both classified as irritable bowel disease, or IBD).
70,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis may be diagnosed at any age, but is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35.
20% of people diagnosed with either disease have a blood relative with IBD.
Of the 80,000 children in the US with IBD, Crohn’s disease is diagnosed twice as often as ulcerative colitis.
IBD is found mainly in developed countries, more commonly in urban areas, and most often in northern climates. The highest incidence of Crohn’s disease is reported in Canada – the highest incidence of ulcerative colitis is reported in Denmark, Iceland and the United States.
Crohn’s disease is more commonly diagnosed in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent than the general population.
IBD patients have a higher risk of developing colon cancer, liver disease and blood clots
The estimated direct cost of care for IBD is $28 billion per year.

Psoriasis

5 million people in the U.S. – and 100 million people worldwide – have Psoriasis.
Psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the U.S.
150,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Psoriasis can be diagnosed at any age, but is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50.
Men and women are affected equally, but men are more likely to experience severe disease.
Most people diagnosed with Psoriasis are diagnosed with Plaque Psoriasis.
People with psoriasis are 3.8 to 7.5 times more likely to develop Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis than the general population.
Psoriasis patients have an increased incidence of Lymphoma, Heart Disease, Obesity, Type II Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome as compared to the general population.
30% of people with Psoriasis develop joint inflammation and a form of arthritis called Psoriatic Arthritis.
A close relative of someone with Psoriatic Arthritis is 50% more likely to be diagnosed with Psoriasis than an unrelated person.
People with Psoriatic Arthritis are 50% more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with Diabetes.
The estimated direct cost of care for Psoriasis is $60 billion per year.

Scleroderma

500,000 people in the U.S. have Scleroderma.
Scleroderma can be diagnosed at any age, but is most often diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 55.
80% of people diagnosed with Scleroderma are women.
About one third of those diagnosed with Scleroderma have Systemic Scleroderma.
Systemic Scleroderma affects the entire body and often damages the heart, lungs, kidneys and GI system. Localized Scleroderma affects skin only.
Systemic Scleroderma is more common in adults and more prevalent in African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic/Latinos.
Localized Scleroderma is more common in children and more prevalent in people of European descent.
African Americans diagnosed with Systemic Scleroderma generally have more rapidly progressing and severe cases of the disease.
People diagnosed with Scleroderma commonly have family members with other autoimmune diseases like thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Most people diagnosed with Scleroderma also have Raynaud’s Phenomenon.
The estimated direct cost of care for Scleroderma $500 million per year. The estimated indirect cost of care is $1 billion per year.