Chronic conditions

Chronic conditions are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in Australia. Common chronic conditions include cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Find out what we’re doing to prevent and manage chronic conditions in Australia.

Learn about chronic conditions

Find out what chronic conditions are and where to find more information about them.

Take action on your risk factors

You can take action to prevent, manage or treat chronic conditions. Find out how.

See our chronic conditions initiatives

Our initiatives can help you prevent or manage chronic conditions in your life.

Find out what we’re doing about chronic conditions

We support activities dealing with many types of chronic conditions.

National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions

This framework is the overarching policy document for chronic conditions. It sets the directions and outcomes to help Australians live healthier lives through effective prevention and management of chronic conditions.

Read the framework

In Australia, 8 common chronic conditions contribute to

61%

of the burden of disease

37%

of hospitalisations

87%

of deaths (based on underlying or associated causes of death)

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia's Health 2018, section 3.3, page 3. The 8 conditions are arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and mental health conditions.

Latest resources

Latest resources

Life Saving Drugs Program – Gaucher disease (type 1) – Guidelines

These guidelines contain the general, initial and ongoing eligibility requirements to access certain medications for Gaucher disease (type 1) under the Life Saving Drugs Program.

Life Saving Drugs Program – Change of treating physician form

Use this form to help transition a patient’s care to a new physician, where there are no other changes to their treatment or eligibility for the Life Saving Drugs Program (LSDP).

Life Saving Drugs Program – Fact sheet for pharmacists

This fact sheet gives answers to common questions about the role of pharmacies and authorised persons in managing Life Saving Drugs Program (LSDP) medicines.

Life Saving Drugs Program – Eliglustat (Cerdelga®) outcome statement

This document states the outcome of Sanofi-Aventis Australia's application to include eliglustat on the Life Saving Drugs Program.