One-quarter of adults (27%) say they or someone close to them has been diagnosed in the last 12 months with a chronic medical condition, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure. One-third (34%) of American adults say they or someone close to them faced a serious medical emergency or crisis in the past 12 months.

These two groups, the recently diagnosed and the recently challenged, constitute a special case. Seventy-one percent of these adults go online and, of those, 84% look online for health information.

“Recent challenged or diagnosed e-patients” — Internet users who say they or someone close to them has received a serious diagnosis or gone through a health crisis in the last 12 months and who search online for information on health and health care