As if being diagnosed with aserious health issuewasn’t overwhelming and stressful enough, then come the medical bills. Sometimes the expenses associated with doctor visits, treatments and medication — not to mention the cost of taking time off work — can be crippling. A 2014 study published inMaine Law Reviewfound that medical debt causes between 18 and 26 percent of all bankruptcies.

Many of the illnesses that come with a huge financial burden are chronic conditions, which require ongoing care versus a one-and-done surgery, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). Here’s the bright side: Chronic diseases also happen to bethe most preventable. Take a look at eight medical conditions with steep price tags attached to their treatments, (but also keep in mind that the cost associated with treatments may be significantly lower when insurance is factored in).

1. Heart Conditions

Heart conditions, including stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure, are high on the list of costly medical conditions. The CDC says in 2012 and 2013 that people in the United States spent an average of$316.1 billion a yearas a result of cardiovascular disease.

不同的治疗方法有不同的成本。佛r example, an out-of-pocket estimate for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) costs roughly $151,271, though the price ranged from $44,824 to $448,038 at the 53 hospitals included in a 2016 study published inThe American Journal of Cardiology. To keep your heart healthy, theAmerican Heart Associationrecommends living a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating a nutritious diet, getting plenty of exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking.

2. Cancer

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The exact price of treatment varies widely based on the type of cancer and its progression, with aneight-week chemotherapy treatmentcosting anywhere from $100 to $30,000. David Belk, M.D., who runs the websiteTrueCostOfHealthcare.org, says one of the costliest types of cancer ischronic myeloid leukemia, which starts in the bone marrow. There’s no cure for it, but it “can be suppressed indefinitely with a medication called Gleevec (imatinib),” Dr. Belk says. In 2015, Gleevec cost more than $120,000 per year, according to a 2017 study published in theJournal of Oncology Practice.

Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, is another expensive one. Dr. Belk says people with this cancer can live for more than five years if they take a drug called Revlimid (lenalidomide), which can cost nearly $20,000 a month. There are many organizations that provide assistance, both financial and otherwise, for cancer patients, includingCancer Financial Assistance Coalitionandlocal American Cancer Society chapters. Tolower your risk of cancer, maintain a healthy weight, avoid chemicals and hormone treatments that have been shown to increase cancer risk and drink alcohol in moderation.

Read more:10 Changes You Can Make Today to Help Cut Your Cancer Risk

3. Kidney Disease

When the kidneys have lost about 90 percent of their functioning, many patients willstart dialysis. Hemodialysis, which involves using an artificial kidney to remove waste from the body, takes about four hours and needs to be completed three times per week. It’s expensive, costing about $90,000 per year per patient. Akidney transplant, should one be needed, costs about $32,000, plus $25,000 per year after the surgery has been completed.

The government, state Medicaid programs and private health insurance help with costs. There are also organizations that help:The American Kidney Fundprovides need-based grants to people in need of dialysis or a transplant, and theNational Kidney Foundationhelps with things like medication and transportation. The biggestrisk factors for developing kidney issuesare high blood pressure, diabetes and a history of kidney disease in the family.

4. Type 2 Diabetes

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About $245 billion is spent in the United States each year on diabetes, according to theCDC. On an individual level,diabetes treatment costsroughly $13,500 a year, which is more than double what someone without diabetes could expect to pay annually in health care costs. That might not seem like all that much compared to other conditions on this list, but it adds up when you consider that someone couldlive for decades with Type 2 diabetesif it’s managed effectively.

And costs are rising. A study published in 2013 inJAMAfound the costs associated with diabetes are growing 36 times faster than costs linked toischemic heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Some organizations do offer financial relief, such as drug companies that havepatient assistance programsand doctor’s offices that provide free samples to those in need.

Read more:18 Famous People With Diabetes

5. Lupus

Lupus, an autoimmune disease that mainly affects women, comes with anaverage yearly health care costof roughly $12,500, plus nearly $9,000 of lost productivity. Those figures can be much higher for people who require medicine to be infused, which might be needed monthly or every few months, says Dr. Belk. One such treatment called belimumab costs about $35,000 per year, according to a 2012 study published inPharmacy and Therapeutics. The drug manufacturer offers apatient assistance programto give people in need the medication at little to no cost.

6. Arthritis

Treatingrheumatoid arthritis can costas much as $30,000 per year. While most people don’t start showing symptoms until they reach their 60s, some are affectedas early as age 30, which means sky-high medical bills for most of their adulthood. Examples ofexpensive treatmentsinclude biologics, which can cost anywhere from $1,300 to $3,000 a month, and knee-replacement surgery, which costs an average of nearly $50,000.

Joint-replacement surgeries are also on the rise: They tripled between 1993 and 2009, partially due to the rising obesity rates in the U.S., according to a study published in 2014 in theJournal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Even if medical insurance covers most of the bill, people with arthritis still pay30 percent or moreof their medication costs.The Arthritis Foundationhas a helpful list of organizations that may help pay for medications and surgery.

7. Dementia

Many of the costs related to treating dementia aren’t strictly for medical bills and medications. Rather, they’re for long-term care, such as nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. According to a 2013 study published inThe New England Journal of Medicine,the average cost someone with dementia will pay over the course of the year is between $41,689 and $56,290.

During a person’s final five years of life, he or she might spendmore than $250,000 on health care, which is more than 50 percent higher than what’d you’d expect with other diseases like heart disease and cancer. Researchers haven’t pinpointed exactly why some people get dementia and others don’t. They do suspect, however, that diet, exercise and strong social connections play a role in minimizing risk, while high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterolincrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Read more:10 Toughest Health Topics to Discuss With Your Significant Other

8. Obesity

Obesity is costly in two ways. First, the medical costs linked to obesity and treating the conditions that typically go along with it, such asdiabetes and coronary artery disease, are high. People with obesity paid$1,429 more in health care in 2006than lower-weight people. Bariatric surgery, which is the gold standard in treating severe obesity, costs roughly $15,000, according to a 2017 study published inObesity Surgery.

And the second reason obesity is so expensive: There are many indirect costs, such as lost wages andincreased insurance premiums. There are some organizations that help fund these costs. Grants are available, for instance, through theWeight Loss Surgery Foundation of America, for those who have been medically approved for surgery but have been denied for financial reasons.

What Do YOU Think?

Have you had to deal with shockingly high medical bills? What condition was being treated? Did you ever worry the bills would force you to file bankruptcy? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.