Despite the most expensive healthcare system in the world, US adults suffer higher rates of chronic disease than counterparts in the UK, researchers found.

Melissa L. Martinson of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University said why the health of people of the same age differs so dramatically in the two countries -- which share so much in terms of history and culture -- is a mystery.

However, although Americans have greater use of healthcare technology, US adults receive less preventive healthcare than their English counterparts and have fewer physician visits per year, and that may make the difference, Martinson said.

Acute US hospital visits are also shorter, potentially resulting in missed opportunities for follow-up, but cross-country differences in social, dietary and physical environmental conditions may play a role, Martinson added.

The researchers compared the following conditions or risk factor between the two countries -- obesity, hypertension, diabetes, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high cholesterol ratio, high C-reactive protein and self-reported health issues.

The study found differences between the US and the UK are statistically significant for every condition except hypertension.

研究人员发现，尽管美国的医疗体制完善、费用昂贵，但是美国成年人得慢性病的机率要比英国成年人高。

普林斯顿大学人口研究办公室的梅利莎•马丁森称，美国和英国的历史和文化有共通的地方，但是两个国家的人们健康状况大不相同，这太令人匪夷所思了。

马丁森称，尽管美国人大范围地享受先进的医疗技术，但是比起英国同龄人，他们的医疗预防和每年的体检问诊更少一些，这也可能是造成美国人健康状况不佳的原因。

马丁森补充说，美国医院急性病问诊时间很短，这就潜在地让病人错失了很多后续治疗机会。当然，两个国家在社会、饮食和自然环境等方面存在差异，这些可能也导致两国人们健康程度不同。

研究人员比较了两个国家的风险性疾病：肥胖病、高血压、糖尿病、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、高胆固醇比例、高敏感性C-反应蛋白和健康问题自我报告。

研究发现，除了高血压，英美两国人们在以上的健康问题都存在巨大差异。