A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the number of American diagnosed with diabetes tripled in just 20 years despite a significant drop on the complications associated to the disease.
There are already 20.7 million Americans suffering from diabetes as of 2010; this number is 300 percent higher compared to the recorded 6.5 million cases 20 years ago. Health officials are worried now because diabetes is a gateway to other complications such as stroke and heart attack.
"Although we've seen a decline in the rates and we've come a long way in preventing the complications and improving the quality of life for people with diabetes, most of the numbers are still increasing," said Linda Geiss, lead author of the study and head of diabetes surveillance at the CDC in Atlanta, said in a telephone interview with Businessweek.
Geiss suggested that the government should act fast in preventing Type 2 diabetes to stop the numbers from increasing further. If this is not mitigated, the government health care expenses on the disease and its complications, which are now on $176 billion per year, will increase as well.
The report also revealed positive news-- diabetes-related complications have drastically declined. Heart attack cases among diabetes patients were down by 68 percent; stroke rate dropped by 53 percent; amputations fell by 51 percent; high blood sugar and kidney complications also improved.
Despite this significant improvement, the CDC still considered the progress slow.
"While the decline in complications is good news, they are still high and will stay with us unless we can make substantial progress in preventing Type 2 diabetes," Edward Gregg, the lead study author and a senior epidemiologist in the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, said to Businessweek.
According to researchers, the decline on the complications is because of the doctors' improvement on managing the risk factors such as blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. The health care providers have also started monitoring the progress of the patients, the New York Times reports.
Further details of the report can be read in the April 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
