April 2007 Diabetes in King County The number of people in King County with diabetes doubled in the past decade. Such a rapid increase in the occurrence of a chronic illness is very rare. Diabetes now affects 84,000 adults in King County or 5.8% of the adult population.
November 2005 Asthma in King County The impact of asthma has increased markedly over the past two decades, making it a leading public health issue. It is the most common chronic childhood illness and accounts for large numbers of missed school and work days for children and their caregivers.
February 1998 Childhood Asthma Hospitalizations, King County, 1987-1996 (PDF, 172 KB) Over the last 10 years, childhood hospitalizations for asthma have been increasing in King County, even as the rate of all other childhood hospitalizations have decreased. Rates increased in high, medium and low poverty neighborhoods, but were highest in neighborhoods with the greatest poverty.
November 1999 Diabetes in King County (PDF, 215 KB)
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which insulin deficiency and/or resistance to insulin action leads to a high level of sugar in the blood. Without proper treatment, diabetes can lead to serious complications such as kidney failure, blindness, and lower extremity amputation. This report summarizes data on diabetes for King County.
July 1997 Cancer in King County (PDF, 2.2 MB)
Cancer, after heart disease, is the second leading cause of death in King County. In 1994, a total of 2,778 King County residents died of cancer , acounting for 25% of all deaths. The top five cancer deaths in King County are lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer.