Longevity Science · Editorial atlas

Diseases & Longevity. 36 conditions that rewrite the years you live.

75% of global deaths in 2019 came from chronic diseases. 18 million were premature deaths before age 70. A longevity conversation without these data is marketing — with them, it becomes medicine. Here is the map.

Why naming the diseases matters

Serious longevity medicine does not promise 120 years of life or reversal of aging. It promises to measure what matters before it becomes irreversible. To do that, the conditions that effectively shape quality of life and life expectancy must be named — with precision, with source, with number. Any longevity conversation that avoids this list is an incomplete conversation.

The 36 conditions in this atlas are grouped into 10 clinical categories ordered by system or organ. Each includes its quantified effect on quality of life (measured with SF-36 where evidence is available) and on life expectancy (years lost, mortality, disability), along with the indexed source. The evidence comes from three main cohorts — Eriksen 2025 (Danish, n=57,053, 20 years), Hu 2024 (CHARLS China, n=13,620), and Basu's editorial commentary in Lancet Healthy Longevity 2025 — complemented with GBD 2019 and WHO Global Health Estimates 2020.

A serious longevity clinic measures disease before diagnosis — and to do that, first it names it.
10 categories · 36 conditions

Navigation index

Cardiovascular · 6

Ischemic heart disease, stroke, hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidemia.

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Metabolic · 4

Type 2 diabetes, central obesity, metabolic syndrome, NAFLD/MASLD.

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Cancer · 5

Cancer (all types), lung, colorectal, breast, prostate.

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Neurodegenerative · 3

Dementia (Alzheimer's), Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment.

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Respiratory · 2

COPD and asthma.

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Mental health · 2

Major depression and clinical anxiety.

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Musculoskeletal · 4

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis with fracture, sarcopenia.

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Renal / Hepatic / GI · 3

Chronic kidney disease, cirrhosis, chronic GI disease.

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Multimorbidity · 1 ★

The central concept of longevity medicine — with an individual file.

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Acute events · 6

AMI, severe sepsis, severe pneumonia, severe COVID-19, hip fracture, TBI.

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Category 01 · Cardiovascular · 6 conditions

The system that remains the leading cause of death

Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of years lived with disability in high-income countries per GBD 2019 and the Danish Eriksen 2025 cohort. Cardiovascular disease shares mechanistic axes with almost every other category in this atlas — inflammaging, endothelial dysfunction, metabolic dysregulation.

  • Ischemic heart disease

    #1 global death · 2019

    Leading cause of death worldwide and of prolonged disability in Scandinavia, UK, and US. One of the 7 major chronic diseases in the Danish cohort.
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025; WHO GHE 2020

    View full ficha →

  • Stroke

    2nd global death

    Severe functional disability post-event. Top 5 cause of death and top 3 cause of disability worldwide. Persistent deterioration of PCS and MCS.
    — GBD 2019; Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025

    View full ficha →

  • Hypertension

    +9-year NCD delay

    Asymptomatic until end-organ damage. Its absence (with no smoking + no overweight) was associated with a 9-year delay in NCD diagnosis.
    — Licher et al., PLoS Med 2019; Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

  • Heart failure

    5y mortality ≈ cancer

    Progressive dyspnea, recurrent hospitalizations, marked PCS deterioration. 5-year mortality comparable to several advanced cancers. Reduces LE 5–10 years depending on NYHA class.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

  • Atrial fibrillation

    5× stroke · 2× mortality

    Palpitations, fatigue, exercise intolerance, clinical anxiety. Increases stroke risk 5× and all-cause mortality 2×.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Dyslipidemia

    Modifiable CV factor

    Asymptomatic until CV event or pancreatitis. Major component of global CV risk; attributable modifiable factor. Included in CHARLS-14.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

Category 02 · Metabolic · 4 conditions

The cluster that appears first — and pulls others with it

The cardiometabolic cluster — hypertension + dyslipidemia + T2D + central obesity — is the most frequent multimorbidity pattern in longitudinal cohorts. It shares mechanistic axes with cancer, dementia, and kidney disease, making it the most recurrent editorial target of any serious longevity conversation.

  • Type 2 diabetes

    +9–10 years without T2D

    Limits PCS via neuropathy, retinopathy, fatigue. Healthy habits = 9–10 additional years without T2D. T2D at age 50 reduces LE 4–7 years.
    — Nyberg et al., JAMA Intern Med 2020; GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Central obesity

    −2.54 / −1.90 years

    High waist circumference: −2.54 years (men) and −1.90 years (women) of disease-free life.
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025

    View full ficha →

  • Metabolic syndrome

    2× CV · 5× T2D

    Subclinical. Multiplies CV risk by 2 and T2D risk by 5.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • NAFLD/MASLD

    10–20% → cirrhosis

    Asymptomatic until cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Progression to cirrhosis in 10–20% of cases.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

Category 03 · Cancer · 5 conditions

2nd cause of death — with <50% attributable to known factors

Cancer is the second cause of global death. The most relevant figure from Lancet 2025: less than 50% of cancer is attributable to known risk factors. What is attributable — tobacco, alcohol, obesity, specific infections — belongs to the modifiable perimeter; the rest remains an open field where early detection via biomarkers has growing space.

  • Cancer (all types)

    <50% attributable

    2nd cause of global death. Less than 50% attributable to known risk factors. One of the 7 major diseases in the Danish cohort.
    — Lancet Healthy Longev 2025; GBD 2019 Cancer Risk Factors

    View full ficha →

  • Lung cancer

    5y survival <20%

    Top 5 cause of death and top 5 cause of disability in Scandinavia, UK, and US (2019). 5-year survival below 20% in late stages.
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025; WHO GHE 2020

    View full ficha →

  • Colorectal cancer

    Top 5 global death

    Top 5 cause of global death and in Scandinavia, UK, and US in 2019. After surgery/CT, significant QoL impact.
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025; GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Breast cancer

    #1 cancer in women

    #1 cancer in women globally. Survival >85% at 5 years in early stages; drops to <30% in stage IV.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Prostate cancer

    #2 cancer in men

    #2 cancer in men globally. 5-year survival >95% in localized stages. Urinary and sexual dysfunction post-treatment are the main QoL determinants.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

Category 04 · Neurodegenerative · 3 conditions

The system that is diagnosed 10 years after onset

Neurodegeneration is the category with the highest latency: deterioration begins decades before the first clinical symptom. Dementia entered the top 3 causes of death in high-income countries and is the leading contributor to prolonged disability. More in the dedicated category: Alzheimer & AMBAR study.

  • Dementia (Alzheimer's)

    Top 3 death · top 1 disability

    Progressive loss of autonomy. Top 3 cause of death in Scandinavia, UK, and US (2019). Top 1 contributor to disability (with IHD).
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025; WHO GHE 2020

    View full ficha →

  • Parkinson's disease

    −1 to −5 years LE

    Bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor. High comorbidity with depression and dementia. Fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease globally.
    — GBD 2019; Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

  • Mild cognitive impairment

    30–50% → dementia 5y

    Subtle symptoms but generate anticipatory anxiety. 30–50% progress to clinical dementia in 5 years.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

Category 05 · Respiratory · 2 conditions

The obstructive diseases quality of life feels first

Before mortality, obstructive respiratory diseases dominate years lived with disability. COPD entered the top 5 of NCD global death and the top 5 of disability. The trajectory — FEV1 decline, exacerbations, hospitalization — can be measured and modified under indexed evidence.

  • COPD

    Top 5 death · top 5 disability

    Progressive dyspnea, exercise intolerance, exacerbations. Marked PCS deterioration. High depression burden. One of the 7 diseases in the Danish cohort.
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025; WHO GHE 2020

    View full ficha →

  • Asthma

    Low mortality with Tx

    Intermittent symptoms; exacerbations limit activity. Low mortality with adequate treatment, but severe asthma reduces LE. Included in the 7 of the Danish cohort.
    — Eriksen et al., Sci Rep 2025

    View full ficha →

Category 06 · Mental health · 2 conditions

The bidirectional axis with all chronic diseases

Major depression and clinical anxiety are both cause and consequence of chronic disease. The association is bidirectional and robust: any patient with cardiometabolic multimorbidity has increased risk of depression, and untreated depression accelerates functional decline and all-cause mortality.

  • Major depression

    −7 to −11 years LE

    Severe MCS deterioration; affects PCS via inactivity. Bidirectional comorbidity with HF, chronic pain, cancer, and dementia. Reduces LE 7–11 years.
    — GBD 2019; Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

  • Clinical anxiety

    ↑ CV risk

    MCS deterioration, somatization, avoidance. Increased CV risk; indirect LE impact via adherence and behaviors.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

Category 07 · Musculoskeletal · 4 conditions

The category that does not kill — but defines how you live

Musculoskeletal diseases have low impact on direct mortality but very high impact on years lived with disability (YLD). Hip fracture is the dramatic exception: 20–30% mortality at one year in adults over 65. Sarcopenia and osteoporosis are the most-studied modifiable targets of functional longevity medicine.

  • Osteoarthritis

    Top 10 global YLD

    Chronic joint pain, severe functional limitation. Marked PCS deterioration. Low impact on direct mortality but top 10 global YLD.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024; GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Rheumatoid arthritis

    −3 to −10 years LE

    Chronic pain, deformity, fatigue. Systemic inflammatory component. Reduces LE 3–10 years; increases CV risk.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Osteoporosis with fracture

    20–30% 1y mortality

    Hip fracture = abrupt loss of autonomy. 20–30% mortality at 1 year in adults over 65.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Sarcopenia

    Mortality predictor

    Loss of muscle mass and strength; frailty, falls. Independent predictor of mortality and dependency in older adults.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

Category 08 · Renal · Hepatic · Gastrointestinal · 3 conditions

Three systems that age in silence

Kidney, liver, and gastrointestinal tract share one property: their deterioration is silent until advanced stages. Chronic kidney disease is asymptomatic until stage 4; cirrhosis does not hurt until it decompensates. Early evaluation through functional biomarkers is the highest-return editorial area in serious longevity medicine.

  • Chronic kidney disease

    15–25% annual mortality (S5)

    Asymptomatic until advanced stages. Dialysis severely impacts PCS and MCS. CKD stage 5/dialysis: 15–25% annual mortality.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024; GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Cirrhosis

    5y mortality >50% decomp.

    Fatigue, ascites, encephalopathy. Progressive PCS and MCS deterioration. 5-year mortality in decompensated cirrhosis >50%.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

  • Inflammatory bowel disease

    Low mortality · ↓↓ QoL

    Ulcer, severe GERD, IBD. Pain, habit alteration, food anxiety. Low direct mortality except in complicated IBD; high QoL impact.
    — Hu et al., BMC Public Health 2024

    View full ficha →

Category 09 · Multimorbidity · central concept

The pattern that rewrites the years you live

The coexistence of two or more chronic diseases affects approximately 1 in 3 adults globally. It is not just another category: it is the concept that justifies the very existence of longevity medicine as a discipline, distinct from the "one disease at a time" model. It is the only condition in this atlas with a complete published file — and the first target of any serious longevity program.

  • Multimorbidity ★

    β = −2.515 PCS · 16% vs 3%

    Each additional chronic disease reduces SF-36 PCS by −2.515 points (Hu 2024). 65-year-old men in worst score: 16% of remaining life with multimorbidity vs 3% best score (Eriksen 2025). 1 in 3 adults globally.
    — Eriksen 2025; Hu 2024; Basu, Lancet Healthy Longev 2025

    View full file →

Category 10 · Acute events with longevity impact · 6 conditions

The point events that redirect the entire trajectory

Not all of longevity plays out in chronic disease. A single acute event — a heart attack, severe sepsis, hip fracture — can redirect the next 10-year trajectory. Serious longevity medicine also evaluates acute risk, not just chronic risk, and designs functional reserves to better survive those events.

  • Acute myocardial infarction

    30% pre-hospital mortality

    Survivors: functional limitation, post-event anxiety, 15–30% depression. Pre-hospital mortality 30%. 5-year survival 50–60% in over-65.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Severe sepsis

    25–40% hosp. mortality

    "Post-sepsis syndrome": chronic fatigue, cognitive dysfunction in 30–50% of survivors. Hospital mortality 25–40%. 1-year mortality >40% in over-65.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Severe community pneumonia

    30–40% 1y mortality (>65)

    Survivors over 65: persistent functional decline. 30-day mortality 5–15%; 1-year mortality 30–40% in older adults.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Severe COVID-19 / Long COVID

    10–30% Long COVID

    Long COVID: chronic fatigue, brain fog, persistent dyspnea. Sustained MCS and PCS deterioration. Severe COVID-19: hospital mortality 10–25%.
    — GBD 2019. View dedicated category →

    View full ficha →

  • Hip fracture

    20–30% 1y mortality

    Abrupt loss of autonomy; 50% do not recover previous function. 1-year mortality 20–30% in over-65.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

  • Moderate-severe TBI

    −4 to −7 years LE

    Cognitive, motor, behavioral sequelae. Severe TBI: reduces LE 4–7 years; increases dementia risk.
    — GBD 2019

    View full ficha →

Why we publish this list — and what we don't offer

Wellness Care does not treat structured diseases. We don't treat diagnosed cardiopathies, we don't treat clinical dementia, we don't treat cancer in progress. That belongs to the organ specialist, and that is how it should be. We publish this atlas because serious longevity medicine begins before diagnosis: by measuring the risk of accumulating comorbidities, identifying shared mechanistic axes, and proposing interventions under indexed evidence.

What we do: advanced biomarker panels, inflammaging assessment, intracellular metabolic profile, functional hormonal, microbiota, and toxic exposure — to build an individual risk map. And on that map, an individualized clinical proposal that seeks to delay the first disease when it has not yet arrived, delay the second when there is already one. That is what indexed literature supports. Nothing more.

We don't promise what evidence does not support. And we publish the diseases with their source because transparency is the foundation of any serious clinic.
Featured evidence

The three papers that structure
this atlas

Three publications that quantify the impact of chronic diseases on quality of life (SF-36), life expectancy, and global disability burden.

"Highest health-score individuals lived 7+ additional years without major chronic disease; multimorbidity time was reduced from 16% to 3% of remaining lifetime."
n=57,053 · 20 years · Danish cohort
Eriksen et al.
Scientific Reports · 2025
"Each additional chronic disease reduced SF-36 Physical Component Summary by −2.515 points and Mental Component Summary by −0.735 points in middle-aged and older adults."
n=13,620 · CHARLS · SF-36
Hu et al.
BMC Public Health · 2024
"Chronic diseases account for 75% of global deaths. Modifiable risk factors explain up to 75% of chronic disease accumulation — leaving a substantial unexplained remainder."
43M NCD deaths · 18M premature
Basu
Lancet Healthy Longev · 2025

Frequently asked questions about the atlas

The most recurrent questions about why we publish this list, what it includes, what it does not include, and how it connects with Wellness Care's clinical offering. Answers aligned with indexed literature and without marketing.

01

Why does Wellness Care publish a disease atlas on a longevity page?

Because longevity medicine is not "healthy habits" or "antiaging". It is understanding — with quantitative data — which conditions shape quality of life and life expectancy, and how much they can be delayed under indexed evidence.

The 36 conditions in this atlas explain most of premature mortality and years lived with disability globally.

02

How many chronic diseases explain most of global mortality?

Chronic diseases account for 75% of global deaths per the editorial commentary by Basu in The Lancet Healthy Longevity 2025.

Non-communicable diseases caused 43 million deaths in 2019, with 18 million premature deaths before age 70.

The main causes in Scandinavia, UK, and US in 2019: ischemic heart disease, stroke, dementia, COPD, and cancers of the lung and colorectum — all in this atlas.

Basu · Lancet Healthy Longev · 2025
03

How much can the onset of chronic diseases be delayed?

The strongest evidence:

· Nyberg et al. (JAMA Intern Med 2020): 9–10 additional years without T2D, CHD, stroke, cancer, asthma, or COPD in best healthy-habits score.
· Licher et al. (PLoS Med 2019): 9-year delay in NCD diagnosis with absence of hypertension, overweight, and smoking.
· Eriksen et al. (Sci Rep 2025, n=57,053): 7+ additional disease-free years in best score.

04

Why does multimorbidity get its own category?

Because it is the central concept of longevity medicine.

One well-controlled disease allows aging; two or more simultaneous diseases rewrite quality of life, multiply disability risk, and accelerate mortality.

CHARLS 2024 quantified that each additional chronic disease reduces SF-36 PCS by −2.515 points. Multimorbidity affects 1 in 3 adults globally and is the target of any serious longevity program. That is why it has a complete file in this atlas.

05

Does Wellness Care treat all these diseases?

No. Wellness Care is not an organ-specialty clinic or an oncology clinic.

Structured diseases — diagnosed cardiopathies, clinically established dementia, cancers in treatment — belong to the specialist. What we do:

· Assess risk and trajectory before diagnosis.
· Measure shared biological axes between comorbidities (inflammaging, biological age, intracellular metabolic profile, microbiota, functional hormonal, toxic exposure).
· Design individualized protocols aimed at delaying progression to multimorbidity.

Every decision is medical and individualized.

The map before the territory

Knowing the 36 diseases is not depressing — it is the first act of power over your trajectory. Serious longevity medicine begins with a map, not a promise.

Measuring biomarkers before diagnosis, identifying the pattern before the cluster, intervening on what is modifiable under indexed evidence — that is what we do. And it all begins with knowing where you stand.

Want to know where you stand?

Book a full longevity assessment

We evaluate clinical history, risk factors of the diseases in this atlas, advanced biomarker profile, and functional trajectory. The assessment defines what to measure, what to intervene, and what simply to monitor — under individualized medical judgment.

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