Based on the 2011-2013 National Health Interview Survey, functional limitations from seven common chronic diseases caused significant economic and workday losses for US full-time employees:

• 6.2 million employees suffered from at least one of these chronic diseases.
• These diseases led to 28.2 million lost workdays, equating to roughly $4.95 billion in lost income.
• Arthritis and rheumatism caused 5.1 million employees to lose over 19.4 million workdays annually (roughly $3.54 billion).
• Cancer-related limitations affected only 1.8% of individuals but ranked second highest in lost workdays and income.
• Individuals with two or more of these chronic diseases experienced a 2.5-fold increase in lost workdays compared to those with one disease, and a 5.9-fold increase compared to those without limitations.