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The Number of Young People with Chronic Illnesses Is Increasing

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The number of young people with chronic illnesses and disabilities entering adulthood, who may be in need of support services to achieve their physical, social, and psychological potential, is on the increase. This includes an increasing number of children with chronic diseases that require life-long management, who were not previously expected to reach adulthood. For example, from 1982 to 2007, the proportion of individuals with cystic fibrosis achieving adulthood (older than 18 years of age) increased from 27 to 56% [14]. It is estimated that children born today with cystic fibrosis will survive into their fifties [15]. Currently, almost 90% of children with congenital heart disease will survive into adulthood [16]. Furthermore, the prevalence of chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes (type 1 and 2), and obesity has increased. In the UK, 1 in 7 young people (15%) aged 11–15 years report having been diagnosed with a long-term medical illness or disability, such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, or physical or mental impairment [17]. This means that more children who need management of these conditions are moving from child to adult services. This may be a burden for the department of adult medicine if not enough resources are dedicated to these cohorts of patients undergoing transition of care from the pediatric system to the adult medicine one.

Transition of Care

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