MHST 601: Examining the Differences: Chronic Disease Prevalence in Alberta versus British Columbia

In 2023, the Government of Canada reported that approximately 45.1% of Canadians are living with one or more chronic illnesses and the rate is expected to rise by 14% each year. Prominent conditions include obesity (29.2%), arthritis (19.5%) and hypertension (17.7%).

This joint blog post with fellow Master of Health Studies candidate Shabin Mere compares chronic disease rates in Alberta and British Columbia.

An estimated 30% of Albertans are living with at least one chronic illness. 75% are aged 65 years and older and the rates in seniors are projected to rise to one in five by 2031 (Alberta Health Services, 2023). The Alberta Primary Care Network (PCN) dashboard provides a variety of demographic, socio-economic and population health statistics for Alberta Zone PCNs. According to the dashboard hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were the leading causes of chronic illness within the province in 2020/21.

In contrast, the 3 main chronic diseases in British Columbia (BC) are mental mood/anxiety disorders, hypertension and ischemic heart disease (BC Chronic disease dashboard, 2023).

The following chart provides a breakdown of the overall age standardized incidence rates of chronic illness in Alberta per 100 population (2020-21).

Health data related to Edmonton (my home region) follows a similar trend, with hypertension scoring as the dominant chronic disease followed by diabetes, COPD and ischemic heart disease respectively. The next chart shows the overall rates of chronic illness in the Edmonton Zone.

As noted, the trend has remained flat since 2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic does not appear to have impacted rates; however, it was well documented that the presence of chronic illnesses may lead to more severe COVID symptoms.

Hypertension

A study by Garies et al., (2020) provided the following statistics related to the incidence of hypertension in Alberta using electronic medical records (EMR).

As indicated, in 2018 women experienced a slightly higher incidence of hypertension than men and the mean age was 65.4 years, which differs from BC that sees a higher prevalence in men overall. Increased cases were observed in urban areas.

Prevalent cases of hypertension in Edmonton

· Men - 148,022

· Women - 139,419

· The highest rates were observed in women over the age of 85 and men aged 80+

o The complete data set can be found here: http://www.ahw.gov.ab.ca/IHDA_Retrieval/selectResults.do

Diabetes

In 2022, an estimated 8% of Albertans were living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes which equates to 403,000 within the population. 90-95% were reported as having type 2 diabetes and the rates were higher in men across all age groups (Alberta Statistics, n.d.).

The diabetes rate in BC is 31% and 26% in Alberta. Both provinces rank second and third in the country behind Ontario (Diabetes Rates Continue to Climb in Canada, n.d.).

Prevalent cases of diabetes in Edmonton

· Men - 70,391

· Women - 59, 441

· Rates peak at 85+ years for women and 75+ years for men

o The complete data set can be found here: http://www.ahw.gov.ab.ca/IHDA_Retrieval/selectResults.do

Ischemic heart disease

Alberta has a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (7.3%) when compared to BC’s rate of 6.6% (Alberta Statistics, n.d.). The prevalence of ischemic heart disease in Alberta is as follows:

· Men - 2,178,145

· Women - 2,202,846

· The highest rates were observed in both sexes aged 85 years and older

o The complete data set can be found here: http://www.ahw.gov.ab.ca/IHDA_Retrieval/selectResults.do

Prevalent cases of ischemic heart disease in Edmonton

· Men - 33,345

· Women - 19,535

· Men are impacted at a significantly higher rate than women. Rates raise significantly in men aged 55 years onward and steadily rise to a peak in the 80–84-year category

o The complete data set can be found here: http://www.ahw.gov.ab.ca/IHDA_Retrieval/selectResults.do

References

Alberta Statistics. (n.d.). Alberta Diabetes Link. Retrieved November 4, 2023, from https://albertadiabeteslink.ca/professionals/alberta-statistics/

About Chronic Diseases | Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, July 21). https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm

Alberta Health Services. (n.d.). Chronic Disease Management. Alberta Health Services. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/page11934.aspx#:~:text=Chronic%20Disease%20in%20Alberta,years%20of%20age%20or%20older

Alberta Health Services. (n.d.). Chronic Disease Prevention. Alberta Health Services. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page15343.aspx

Chen, G., Farris, M. S., Cowling, T., Pinto, L., Rogoza, R. M., MacKinnon, E., Champsi, S., & Anderson, T. J. (2021). Prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and subsequent major adverse cardiovascular events in Alberta, Canada : A real‐world evidence study. Clinical Cardiology, 44(11), 1613–1620. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.23732

Chronic disease dashboard. BC Centre for Disease Control. (2023).

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-professionals/data-reports/chronic-disease-dashboard

Garies, S., Youngson, E., Soos, B., Forst, B., Duerksen, K., Manca, D., McBrien, K., Drummond, N., Quan, H., & Williamson, T. (2020). Primary care EMR and administrative data linkage in Alberta, Canada: describing the suitability for hypertension surveillance. BMJ Health & Care Informatics, 27(3), e100161. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjhci-2020-100161

Government of Canada, S. C. (2023, September 13). Health outcomes. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-570-x/2023001/section1-eng.htm#a3