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10 Medical Conditions Most Likely to Affect Millennials

July 13, 2020

So often, people say “it’s an age thing,” but in the case of millennials, poor health may be directly related to their age.

According to a 2019 report issued as part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Association “Health of America” research report series, millennials are less healthy than people in the generation right before them, Gen-Xers. Relying on data collected in 2017, when millennials were 21 to 36 years old, those 24 to 36 were more prone to nearly all of the top 10 health conditions in the United States than Gen Xers, the generation born between 1965 and 1980, when they were in the same age range.

The more rapid health decline among millennials, according to researchers, could lead to mortality rates increasing by more than 40 percent compared to Gen-Xers at the same age.

“Statistics do show that millennials don’t like to go to the doctor,” says Dr. Linette Rosario. a primary care physician with the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group in Bridgeport. “They feel, ‘I’m healthy, I don’t need to see the doctor,’ but having a PCP is extremely important regardless of age or gender.”

The top 10 health conditions, in order of prevalence among millennials per the BCBS study, are:

  • Major depression
  • Hyperactivity
  • Other endocrine conditions
  • Hypertension
  • Psychotic conditions
  • Type II diabetes
  • Crohn’s disease/ulcerative colitis
  • Substance use disorder
  • Tobacco use disorder
  • Alcohol use disorder

“Annual visits are key,” says Dr. Rosario, who is a millennial, “even if you’re feeling healthy. You can have high blood pressure and not notice. Your cholesterol may be a little bit off from eating out so often with your friends. Your weight might have gone from an overweight to an obesity category. You may have diabetes and not even recognize the subtle symptoms or have no symptoms at all. The key is prevention.”

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