In the Risk Factor game of chance, it could well be your number that comes up. Asthma affects 14-15 million Americans, including almost 5 million children. The American Cancer Society estimates that 8 million Americans have a history of cancer. In 1999, about 1.22 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed. This estimate does not include carcinoma in situ or the approximately 1 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer to be diagnosed this year.
Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease and stroke.
950,000 Americans every year. About 16 million Americans have diabetes, but only about 10 million have been diagnosed. Approximately 798,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed annually in the United States. The number of persons diagnosed with diabetes has increased sixfold, from 1.6 million in 1958 to 10 million in 1997. Diabetes is the nation's seventh leading killer and contributed to about 187,800 deaths in 1995.