Chronic Disease

Chronic diseases place a burden on individuals and families in MN. These burdens are unevenly distributed across populations and areas of the state. Older, rural, 2SLGBTQIA+ Minnesotans bear a higher burden of chronic disease. The prevalence of chronic conditions for Minnesotans 60+ has been increasing since 2009. About 76% of Minnesotans 60+ have at least one chronic condition. Obesity and hypertension also increase across MN populations aged 18-64 (source).

Information for graphics (source)

% of MN Women Ever Told By a Health Professional They Have

  • 2.4% Heart attack
  • 2.6% Angina or coronary heart disease
  • 2.6%  Stroke
  • 8.1% Diabetes
  • 27.1% High blood pressure 
  • 29.5% High cholesterol
  • 14.8% Asthma
  • 4.4% Some form of COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis
  • 26.3% Some form of Arthritis
  • 3.2% Kidney disease
  • 38% of women are at a recommended weight
  • 28.7% of women are overweight
  • 31.1% of women are obese
  • 2.2% of women are underweight or unknown

Rate of MN Women with the following chronic conditions:

ConditionRate per 1,000 Minnesotans 
High Blood Pressure214.3
High Cholesterol147
Asthma124.1
Diabetes62.1
Depression74.9
Congestive Health Failure25.3
Ischemic Kidney Disease14.9
Rheumatoid Arthritis15.1
COPD12.6
Chronic Kidney Disease12.9


Chronic Disease in Minnesotan Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Women

Overall findings (source):

  • Adults that identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) living in rural locations have the highest rates of chronic conditions overall (43.8% for rural LGB adults).
  • The rates of chronic conditions in both rural and urban locations are higher for adults that identify as LGB compared to adults that identify as heterosexual.
% of Individuals Identifying as LGB That Have Been Told They Have:Urban SettingsRural Settings
Arthritis36.429.4
Asthma14.729.2
COPD5.66.4
Heart disease2.12.1
Diabetes4.812.3
Had a heart attack1.53.0
High blood cholesterol17.621.0
High blood pressure20.831.8
Had a stroke1.81.9

Chronic Disease Mortality

  • African American and Asian American women died from stroke 40% more than White women(source)
  • Native American women die from heart disease 52% more often than White women
  • 59 women died due to asthma (source)
  • 367 died due to heart attack (source)
  • 5,953 died due to heart disease (source) 
  • 647 died due to diabetes (source)
  • 354 died to due chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (source)
  • 250 died due to renal failure (source)