Wellness

Chronic Disease

Diabetes Deaths Up; Heart Disease Deaths Down

Chronic diseases – including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease – are costly yet largely preventable. Chronic illnesses contribute to approximately 70% of deaths in the United States each year and account for about 75% of the nation’s health-related costs. 1 This indicator reports prevalence and death data for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure/stroke. Also tracked are hospitalizations due to heart disease.

Highest Rates of Chronic Diseases Among Counties.

How is San Bernardino County Doing?

TREND

Heart Disease
There has been a decrease in the percentage of county residents who were diagnosed with heart disease – from 7.6% in 2017 to 5.1% in 2018.2 In 2017, San Bernardino County’s death rate due to heart disease was 184.7 age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 residents. This marks a decrease of 18% since 2008 in deaths due to heart disease and a one-year decrease of 1% since 2016.3

STEADY DECREASE IN DEATHS DUE TO HEART DISEASE

Heart Disease: Percentage Ever Diagnosed and Death Rates in San Bernardino County, 2008-2018

* Data considered unstable and should be interpreted with caution.

Sources: California Health Interview Survey; United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Compressed Mortality File (CMF) on CDC WONDER Online Database.

Diabetes

In 2018, 10.8% of adults in San Bernardino County had been diagnosed with diabetes. This marks a decrease from 2017, when diabetes prevalence was 14.6%.2 The long-term trend is relatively stable, with 10.6% of adults in the county with a diabetes diagnosis in 2009. Deaths due to diabetes increased from 34.5 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2017 to 35.1 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2018. The longer-term trend is also upward, increasing 19% since 2009.

STEADY INCREASE IN DEATHS DUE TO DIABETES

Diabetes: Percentage Ever Diagnosed and Death Rates in San Bernardino County, 2009-2018

Data considered unstable and should be interpreted with caution.

Sources: California Health Interview Survey; California Department of Public Health, County Health Status Profiles

Blood Pressure/Stroke4
In 2018, 29.5% of adults in San Bernardino County had high blood pressure—a rate similar to 2017 when 29.7% of adults had high blood pressure. Deaths due to strokes, which are associated with high blood pressure, increased 1%, from 42.0 age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 in 2017 to 42.4 in 2018. The long-term trend, is variable, but slightly downward, with a 3% decline in deaths due to strokes since 2009.

PREVALENCE OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND STROKE DEATHS STABILIZE

High Blood Pressure: Percentage Ever Diagnosed and Death Rates due to Stroke in San Bernardino County, 2009-2018

Sources: California Health Interview Survey; California Department of Public Health, County Health Status Profiles

GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL

San Bernardino County’s prevalence rate for heart disease was the lowest among neighboring counties and the state. However, for diabetes prevalence, at 10.8% in 2018, San Bernardino County had a rate of adults diagnosed with diabetes that was in the middle among counties compared and higher than the California rate. Also in 2018, 29.5% of adults in San Bernardino County had high blood pressure, second lowest among neighboring counties compared and lower than California.

COUNTY HAS LOWEST RATE OF HEART DISEASE BUT HIGHEST RATE OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

County Comparison of the Percentage Ever Diagnosed with Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, or Heart Disease, 2018

Source: California Health Interview Survey

Hospitalizations due to Heart Disease Increase in Recent Years

In 2017, the hospitalization rate for heart disease in San Bernardino County was 85.1 per 10,000 residents (age-adjusted). This is higher than the California hospitalization rate of 69.6 per 10,000 residents.

Heart Disease Hospitalizations (Age-Adjusted Rate per 10,000) in San Bernardino County and California,* 2008-2017

California data only available 2010 through 2017.

Source: California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development; American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (2008-2017)
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/) 2Data for 2017 is considered unstable and should be interpreted with caution. 3The 2018 death rate for heart disease was not available by time of publication of this report. 4Fully 70% of strokes can be directly linked to existing high blood pressure, making high blood pressure the single most important controllable stroke risk factor.