Kenneth Langa, a professor of internal medicine, gerontology and health management and policy at the University of Michigan Medical School.

High blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, heart problems, stroke, chronic lung disease and mental health conditions were more prevalent among low income Americans than their English counterparts.

The gap between rich and poor

Health outcomes improved with income in both countries, but there were larger disparities between rich and poor in the US.

Both countries have an issue with inequality, but disparities are likely worse in the US than other high income countries, the researchers told CNN.

"The shocking difference between rich and poor in both countries is something to be addressed," Langa said.

"It's especially magnified in the United States, this rich-poor difference is even more of a public health emergency."

The full study is published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine and used data from two studies that looked at 13,000 US residents and 5,700 English residents from 2008 to 2016.

The disparities remained even when adjusting for factors such as gender, race and marital status, the researchers found.

They focused on middle-aged US residents because older people are eligible for Medicare health coverage.

In the United Kingdom, everyone has access to health care under the National Health Service.

Impact of coronavirus on low income US residents

The findings may also help to explain why low income US residents have been hit harder by the coronavirus pandemic, explained Langa.

"A number of the disparities that we found between low-income and high-income Americans — such as a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension, and higher levels of inflammation — are likely contributing to the much higher risk for COVID-related complications and death among the poor," he said.

Low income US residents are also more likely to struggle with shopping, cooking and managing their money than those with higher incomes, as well as English people with similar incomes, according to the study.

Financial stress can exacerbate worse health-related behaviors like smoking and an unhealthy diet, which can contribute to serious health problems, said the authors.

More worryingly, the situation looks set to worsen.

"Even younger cohorts than baby boomers, those in their forties, their health is really shockingly bad," said HwaJung Choi, a research assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Langa agreed that the US trends do not look good.