Americans spent $234 billion on circulatory diseases such as hypertension and heart disease in 2010, the most out of any other disease category, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The BEA came up with that number by looking at spending by disease from 2000 to 2010.
Here are the BEA findings for health spending for diseases in 2010, the most recent year looked at, from the highest spending amount to the lowest.
1. Circulatory conditions (high blood pressure, heart attack) — $234 billion
2. Diseases of the of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (arthritis, back pain) — $170 billion
3. Diseases of the respiratory system (pneumonia, arthritis) — $144 billion
4. Endocrine; nutritional; and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders (diabetes, cholesterol) — $126 billion
5. Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs (Alzheimer's, MS) — $120 billion
6. Diseases of the genitourinary system (reproductive, kidney) — $111 billion
7. Diseases of the digestive systems —$102 billion
8. Mental illness (dementia, depression) — $79 billion
9. Infectious diseases (Hepatitis, HIV) — $58 billion
10. Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue — $38 billion
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