AHRQ reports that heart disease is the most costly medical condition in the U.S.

A statistical brief issued this month by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that heart disease and cancer ranked first and second as the most expensive medical conditions for both men and women in terms of overall health-care expenditures.

The analysis used data from the Medical Panel Expenditure Survey regarding medical expenditures for men and women, age 18 and older. The top 10, most costly conditions for adults were determined by totaling and ranking the expenses by condition for all medical care provided in 2008.

Total expenditures for the care and treatment of heart disease were $47.3 billion among men and $43.6 billion among women. The average expenditure for medical care related to heart disease was $4,363 per male and $3,723 per female.

For men, trauma-related disorders and osteoarthritis ranked third and fourth followed by mental disorders, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, and back problems.  For women, mental disorders and trauma-related disorders were third and fourth followed by osteoarthritis, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, back problems, and hyperlipidemia.