Revealed: Age you’re most likely to suffer health complications, according to CDC

The age at which you are most likely to see a doctor is not when you are young and stupid or old and wise.

According to new CDC data, you’re just reaching retirement age, 55 to 64 years old.

The number of Americans visiting health clinics was 418 per 1,000 people in that age group.

Aside from age, not being married also puts you at risk for more doctor appointments: Unmarried people accounted for 48 percent of visits, compared to 38 percent for those who were married.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of doctor visits were for illnesses, including high blood pressure, digestive problems and diabetes, a symptom of America’s chronic disease epidemic.

A total of 89.5 million visits to health clinics took place in 2022, according to the CDC report based on the 2022 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Health Center Component.

This represents an increase from the estimated 82.3 million visits the year before.

The agency looked at data from health clinics, community health centers that provide access to primary care for underserved communities.

The clinics receive federal funding and provide a wide range of services, including medical, vision and dental care, prenatal care, vaccinations and cancer screenings.

The report shows that in 2022, patients aged 18 to 44 made up the largest percentage of health clinic visits for any reason (43 percent) and those in that age group who were not married accounted for two-thirds of all visits.

Previous research has examined this discrepancy and found a link between marital status and health outcomes.

A 2019 study found that people who were married had a lower chance of having stayed in a hospital or nursing home in the past year.

The researchers found that married people have better health because they are likely to have higher incomes, private health insurance, and a stronger support system and help with keeping appointments and their overall health.

Rates for clinic visits were highest among 55- to 64-year-olds, with 418 visits per 1,000 people in that age group.

Visits may be higher among this group because people 45 to 64 years old receive the majority of new diabetes diagnoses in the U.S., according to the CDC, which overlaps with the 55- to 64-year-olds included in the latest CDC report.

And 36 percent of visits in 2022 were for endocrine and metabolic diseases – including diabetes – among this age group, the most of any age group included in the analysis.

These near-retirees also had the second highest rate (26 percent) of visits for circulatory diseases, including high blood pressure.

Behind them were Americans aged 45 to 54, with a visit rate of 398 per 1,000. This was followed by 18 to 44 year olds, who attended health clinics at a rate of 325 per 1,000 people.

And surprisingly, people aged 65 and over had the lowest number of visits to health centers: 316 per 1,000 people.

But this age group saw the biggest increase in visits between 2010 and 2020: a 147 percent increase in the past decade, which could be the result of an increasingly aging population.

And women visited doctors more often than men: 445 per 1,000 women compared to 249 per 1,000 men.

The majority of clinic visits were disease-related, meaning people were seeking care for chronic conditions such as those of the digestive or respiratory systems or musculoskeletal disorders.

This accounted for 61 percent of visits.

Of the disease-related visits, the majority (29 percent) were for endocrine and metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, which affects 38 million Americans.

The second highest reason for visits was ‘factors affecting health status and contact with health services’, at 42 percent.

Reasons within this category include routine vaccinations and examinations, follow-up medical appointments, disease investigations, blood typing, reproductive services, and consultations not related to a current symptom, injury, or illness.

Mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders accounted for 22 percent – ​​the fourth highest – of visits.

These numbers decreased with age, from 24.5 percent of visits by adults aged 18 to 44 to 15 percent by adults aged 65 and older.

However, hypertension or high blood pressure increased with age. Among 18- to 44-year-olds, this accounted for 6.5 percent of visits, compared to 33 percent among people aged 65 and over.

The CDC said screenings and exams are frequent reasons for visits to health centers, as data has shown that screening rates for cancer, diabetes, smoking, HIV and depression have all increased.