National Diabetes Month focuses on serious complications of costly disease

The month of November is recognized as National Diabetes Month.  Diabetes affects 25.8 million Americans, about 8.3% of the U.S. population.  Diabetes is a disease that causes blood glucose levels to be above normal.  Most of the food people eat is turned into glucose or sugar which the body uses for energy.  The pancreas creates a hormone called insulin to help glucose travel throughout cells within the body.  When a person has diabetes their body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use its own insulin as well as it should.  
 

Approximately 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes which puts them at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.  According to the American Diabetes Association, if current trends in health care continue then 1 out of 3 children born in the U.S. today, will eventually face a future with diabetes.  Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. 

In addition to being one of the leading causes of death among Americans, diabetes care is costly.  According to the Diabetes Association, since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased 45%, while the death rates of cancer, heart disease, and stroke have declined.  $1 out of every $5 in total U.S. healthcare costs is devoted to someone with diabetes.  Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults and it is also the leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S.

There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile-onset diabetes), Type 2 diabetes, and Gestational diabetes.  The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for approximately 90 - 95% of all diagnosed cases of the disease. Obesity is commonly associated with Type 2 diabetes.    

Some of the symptoms of diabetes include: excessive hunger or thirst, fatigue, sudden vision changes, more infections than usual, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, and very dry skin.  Treatments for diabetes include: a healthy diet, exercise, insulin injections, and regular blood glucose testing and check-ups with health care providers.   

During a Presidential Proclamation speech about National Diabetes Month on October 29, 2010, President Barack Obama said: “The new health insurance reform law, the Affordable Care Act, adds a number of tools for reversing the increase in diabetes and caring for those facing this disease.  Insurance companies are no longer able to deny health coverage or exclude benefits for children due to a pre-existing condition, including diabetes.  This vital protection will apply to all Americans by 2014.”

In 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimated total national cost of diabetes care was $174 billion.  It is clear that diabetes is an expensive and devastating disease.  In order for the prevalence of the disease to decrease, it is imperative that health care providers and government entities provide information about treatment and prevention programs related to diabetes.