Diabetes - Problem of Americans

Diabetes is the disease that arises from an inability to produce insulin or to use it effectively. In 2005, the disease affected roughly 250 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). This estimate is projected by WHO health experts to increase over 1.5 times to 380 million people by the year 2025, barely a decade and a half from now.

For Americans, the numbers are worse. The U.S. Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) says diabetes afflicts approximately 21 million people (in 2005) and is expected to reach 50 million Americans by 2025. That is a growth of nearly 2.4 times compared with the 1.5 times for the rest of the world.

These numbers suggest that because of the increasing prevalence of the disease, more Americans will be disabled by it and eventually will die from it. This will happen despite advances being made in treatment methods for the complications of diabetes.

Diabetes was already the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2002, accounting for about 225,000 deaths in 2002 compared with 213,064 in 2000, an increase of 5.6 percent.

The sharp increase in diabetes patients poses a significant threat that could overwhelm health systems and become a burden to national economies. The economic burden of diabetes in the United States was estimated in 2005 to reach $132 billion, with $92 billion in direct costs, mainly for medical treatments, and $40 billion in indirect costs, or costs related to disability, premature mortality, and loss of work productivity. Even for an economy as big as the United States, diabetes is a significant burden.

Officials at the U.S. National Institutes of Health cite the surging increase of obesity in the U.S. as the main reason for the prevalence of diabetes. Related to obesity is the higher consumption of high-fat fast-foods and a more sedentary, less physically active lifestyle.

The irony is that while significant advances have been made in treating diabetes, these gains are offset by rising obesity. A societal change similar in magnitude to the program that altered smoking behaviour is needed. It will be interesting to see how health authorities handle the societal aspects of the diabetes problem of Americans.

Information On How You Can Manage & Control Diabetes