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Medco Health Solutions Inc. has determined that 51% of insured Americans—children and adults—were taking prescription medications for at least one chronic condition in 2007. The pharmacy benefit management company analyzed a representative sample of 2.5 million people from its database. A surprise: In all, 48% of women aged 20–44 years are being treated for a chronic condition, compared with 33% of men their age. Antidepressants were the most common prescription for this age group, whereas the top therapies overall were antihypertensives and cholesterol cutters. Hormone therapy use by women aged 45–64 years declined from 30% in 2001 to 15% in 2007. The data “paint a pretty unhealthy picture of America,” Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer, said in a statement. But, “it does show that people are receiving treatment which can prevent more serious health problems down the road.”

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