To say most people....

[TinaTeaspoons]

Have a long term health condition by the time they are 40?
DH has UC and RA both diagnosed within 2 years of each other in his thirties. He turned 38 yesterday and gone on a downward spiral despite both conditions being managed well. I think it was because at his party yesterday, he couldn't drink (due to his meds) or dance with the rest of us. Trying to make him feel better and see that many people have long term health concerns which may not be visible.

But surely you recognise that plenty of people with LT conditions can't work (that's why there are out of work disability benefits, dire though they are), or can't work FT. Great that you can, but many can't.

People don't seem to be able to separate statistical averages from their own personal circumstances.

Yes, some people have congenital conditions, some have early-onset conditions (I have both) and not everyone from poorer parts of Glasgow dies of a heart attack at 52. But that doesn't change the fact that most people don't develop chronic conditions in their 30s and far more develop them in their 60s or older, or that there is a connection between socio-economic factors and life expectancy.

More than one in three middle-aged British adults are suffering from at least two chronic health conditions, including recurrent back problems, poor mental health, high blood pressure, diabetes and high-risk drinking, according to research that warned that health in midlife is on the decline.

The study is based on data from a nationally representative group of around 8,000 British adults who have participated in the 1970 British Cohort Study since they were born, more than 50 years ago.

At age 46-48, in 2016-18, they were asked to report on whether they had chronic physical and mental health conditions while nurses measured their blood pressure and took a blood sample to check for diabetes.

One third (34%) of the adults surveyed had multiple chronic health problems, with 26% engaged in high-risk drinking, while 21% reported recurrent back issues, and 19% experienced mental health problems. One in six (16%) had high blood pressure, 12% were suffering from asthma or bronchitis, 8% had arthritis and 5% had diabetes in midlife.Adults from poorer backgrounds had almost three and half times higher risk of suffering from mental ill-health and arthritis, and about three times the risk of having poor mental health and high blood pressure in their late 40s.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/28/a-third-of-middle-aged-uk-adults-have-at-least-two-chronic-health-issues-study

OP I'm sorry your DH is unwell but I'm not sure that being feeling cheered up that others are also unwell is very productive.

I don’t think so. I’m 45 and I don’t know anyone who has a LT condition except for a friend who has MS. They obviously might keep it to themselves though.

I was diagnosed with RA at 35 but it does run in my family ( thanks for the shit genes DM ). I'm 55 now and itp is very well controlled apart from the odd flare up when I can't move. If I have any sort of infection they do tend to be bad because of the RA meds though, luckily that rarely happens

Really? You don't know any diabetics? Or people with epilepsy?

I used to know a woman with Crohns & one with diabetes (don’t know which type) & fibromyalgia who would both be in their mid-40s now. That was about 10 years ago.

I can’t honestly think of anyone else around 40 who I know has a long term condition, but as I’ve understood from previous posts, that’s likely to merely mean I don’t know about the conditions.

Many long term health conditions nowadays are lifestyle related eg developing type 2 diabetes from being obese. Before anyone jumps down my throat I said many not all. As I said uptrend, I have RA which is an autoimmune disorder nothing to do with socioeconomics