The 12 Most Common Chronic Health Conditions Among Older Adults

Chronic diseases are more common with age, but doctors say they are not inevitable — and there are things you can do to prevent or delay most of them

Rachel Nania,

AARP

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En español

Published July 10, 2025

stethoscope wrapped around illustrations of people

Chris Gash

As you get older, the term “chronic health condition” begins to crop up more often.

You may have made it through your 20s, 30s and 40s ache-free and with perfect blood work. But then your 50s hit, and you discover your blood pressure is up, your cholesterol is concerning and your knees stiffen and pop every time you stand. Once you turn 65, you are in a small minority if you don’t have a chronic condition.

An April 2025 report in Preventing Chronic Disease, a journal sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that almost 80 percent of adults ages 35 to 64, and over 90 percent of adults 65 and older, had at least one chronic health condition in 2023. Among U.S. adults age 65-plus, nearly 80 percent reported having two or more chronic health conditions.

“A lot happens as we age that predisposes us to some of these conditions,” says Kahli E Zietlow, M.D., a geriatrician and clinical assistant professor at Michigan Medicine.

Part of it, she says, is due to increased inflammation, which can contribute to a number of health conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“We also see things like our arteries just naturally start to stiffen with age, and that may predispose people, for instance, to hypertension. Our pancreas starts to lose some of its metabolic effect with age, and that can, in turn, drive insulin resistance and diabetes,” Zietlow adds. “So just these normal processes of aging make us more predisposed to chronic illnesses.”

Here’s a look at some of the most common health issues among older adults and how you can avoid, or at least delay, them.

The most common chronic health conditions

While the prevalence of chronic conditions can vary with age, many of the same health issues commonly affect adults over 50.

For example, the Preventing Chronic Disease report found that the most frequently reported conditions for adults in midlife (ages 35 to 64) were obesity (37 percent), high cholesterol (37 percent), and high blood pressure (35 percent). And for adults 65 and older, the top three were blood pressure (61 percent), high cholesterol (55 percent) and arthritis (51 percent).

Meanwhile, a different CDC report, published in June, found that adults 85 and older most commonly experienced high blood pressure (67 percent), arthritis (56 percent) and high cholesterol (46 percent).

Ardeshir Hashmi, M.D., endowed chair of geriatric innovation and section chief at the Center for Geriatric Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, says hearing loss is another common condition he sees among older individuals; according to the National Institute on Aging, it affects about one-third of older adults. But despite its prevalence, patients are often reluctant to discuss hearing troubles with their doctor, he says, because “folks feel like nothing much can be done about it,” adding that “a little bit of it is a stigma that is also associated with it.”

Allowing hearing loss to go untreated, however, can lead to other health issues: It increases the risk for depression, dementia, social isolation and falls. Hearing aids, medication and surgery are some treatments that can help with hearing loss.

Another condition not to be overlooked among older adults is depression, which affects nearly 20 percent of adults ages 35 to 64 and nearly 15 percent of people 65-plus, according to the Preventing Chronic Disease report. Hashmi says depression can be overlooked in older patients because it doesn’t always present the same way as it does in young adults.

For example, instead of losing sleep, older adults with depression might sleep too much. Hashmi says another sign of depression in an older person could be a lack of pleasure in everyday things they previously looked forward to.

And while dementia is rare in patients ages 50 to 64, Thomas Gill, M.D., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine, notes that it’s not unlikely to see it in older patients, notably those 85 and older. “We’re more effective in managing conditions like heart disease, and so people are living into older ages,” when dementia is more likely to occur, he says. The CDC report states that an estimated 12 percent of adults 85 and older had dementia in 2022-23.

Reducing your risk for chronic health conditions

The good news is that there are things you can do that can help prevent or delay most chronic conditions at every life stage. Chief among them is exercise, “which has benefits across multiple risk factors,” Thomas says.

8 ways to prevent chronic diseases

These everyday actions can make a big impact when it comes to preventing or delaying common chronic conditions:

Quit smoking
Eat healthfully
Get regular physical activity
Limit alcohol
Get preventive screenings
Take care of your teeth
Get enough sleep
Know your family history, and alert your doctor

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Exercise can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease and improve symptoms of depression and arthritis. Regular physical activity can also help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol numbers.

“[Exercise] is sort of the penicillin of healthy aging,” Hashmi says. “When you exercise, your joints are more supple, your muscles are stronger. You are improving your circulation, not only to your heart but to the entire body, including the brain. You’re releasing positive hormones and neurotransmitters, endorphins, that will be good for your physical health but really good for your mental health.”

Exercise has been linked to a lower risk for several types of cancer, and a recent study found that it may also lower the odds of colorectal cancer recurrence. In 2023, the Preventing Chronic Disease study found that an estimated 6 percent of adults ages 35 to 64 and roughly 20 percent of adults ages 65-plus had cancer.

“There are other conditions that become increasingly common with older age, such as falls,” Thomas adds, “and one of the most effective strategies to prevent fall-related injuries is physical activity, with the best single physical activity being walking.”

In addition to exercise, health experts say diet can affect chronic disease risk. Zietlow points to the Mediterranean diet — rich in fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and moderate amounts of fish, poultry and dairy — while Hashmi urges older adults to make sure they’re getting enough protein to support their muscles as they age.

Hashmi also suggests mindfulness, especially paying attention to and limiting distractions. Living in a state where you’re constantly switching your brain from one thing to the next can raise levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, he explains. And high cortisol levels can lead to weight gain, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, among other problems.

Doctors also urge older adults to stay on top of regular medical appointments, recommended vaccines and routine screenings. “It’s so much easier when we can prevent these things or catch them early,” Zietlow says.

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