It may be the holidays, but we still need to be focused on our health and not to overindulge!
Diabetes currently affects 537 million adults worldwide, which is about fifty-five million more cases over the last 2 years. Diabetes is a leading global cause of heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputation.
Researchers estimate that the diabetes dilemma will only increase. The number of diabetes patients is expected to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. In 2024, 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with Diabetes. In the U.S., the CDC estimate that if current trends continue, one in three American adults could develop diabetes by 2050.
Diabetes concerns every family and is the theme of World Diabetes Day and Diabetes Awareness Month this November. Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by inadequate production or poor use of insulin, resulting in high blood sugar.
Today, the American Diabetes Association® (ADA) published the Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2022 (Economic Report), a comprehensive analysis assessing the financial burden of living with diabetes in the United States.
Significant findings:
- National health care costs related to diabetes has increased by $80 billion from 2012 to 2022, from $227 billion to $307 billion respectively.
- People with diagnosed diabetes have 2.6 higher medical bills than if they did not have diabetes.
- Cost of insulin did increase 24% from 2017 to 2022. Insulin tripled in price from $8 billion in 2012 to $22.3 billion in 2022.
- Women with diabetes spend more on average than men on annual health care expenditures.
- Diabetic people over 65 spend double per capita annual health care expenditures than any other age group above the age of 18.
- Twenty-six percent of the total estimated cost ($106.3 billion) of diabetes can be attributed to lost productivity at work, unemployment from chronic disability and premature mortality.
- Missed workdays, accounts for $5.4 billion in annual indirect costs, while reduced work productivity accounts for $35.8 billion in annual indirect costs.
- Two million more people between 19-65 would be in the workforce if they did not have diabetes.
- If you have been diagnosed with diabetes your health care costs are usually 2.3 times higher than living without diabetes.
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) Symptoms:
- Urinating often
- Feeling very thirsty and hungry
- Extreme fatigue
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss ‐ even though you are eating more (DM type 1)
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (DM type 2)
Complications of Diabetes include:
- Hypoglycemia ‐ low blood sugar
- High blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90
- LDL (bad) cholesterol greater than or equal to 100 mg/dl
- Cardiovascular disease plaque accumulation in blood vessels.
- Death rates 1.7 times higher among adults diagnosed with DM.
- Heart attacks 1.8 times higher among adults diagnosed with DM.
- Strokes 1.5 times higher among adults diagnosed with DM.
- Long‐term complications, including eye problems and blindness, kidney disease and amputations.
Lowering your risk of diabetes:
- Staying at a healthy weight can help you prevent and manage problems like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, and high blood glucose. Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Physical activity can do a lot for you, even if you haven’t been very active lately. It is also important to have an annual physical and to manage your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.
- If you do smoke, please quit.
In summary, eat healthier and increase physical activity, with goals of reducing body weight by 7 percent and increasing physical activity to 2.5 hours per week. Studies show that physical activity of 2.5 hours per week decrease your chances of developing diabetes by almost 30%.
For more information on Diabetes visit: www.AmericanDiabetesAssociation; www.InternationalDiabetesFederation
