Diabetes: A 21st Century Scourge - The Facts and Figures

The causes of diabetes and how it ravages the body is sobering. The shocking reality of diabetes is that despite all of the medical advances and its worldwide prevalence it continues on a skyward rise into the stratosphere. As if that is not sobering enough the facts listed below will help bring the point home.

• Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States (nearly 8.5 % of the population) have diabetes
• 79 million Americans are thought to be prediabetic
• 1.9 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year
• Nearly 10% of the entire U.S. population has diabetes, including over 25% of seniors
• As many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 if present trends continue
• The economic cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. is $245 billion per year
• 1.9 million Americans aged 20 years or older are newly diagnosed with diabetes                each year (5,205/day)
• Compared to non-Hispanic whites the risk of diagnosed is 1.2 times higher among Asian Americans, 1.7 times higher among Hispanic Americans, and 1.8 times higher among African Americans
• Diabetes is the primary cause of death  for 71,382 Americans each year
• Diabetes contributes to the death of 231,404 Americans annually (combining death certificates that list diabetes as the primary and a contributing cause of death)
• $245 billion annually attributable to diagnosed diabetes, including $176  billion in direct costs and $69 billion in indirect costs (disability, work loss, premature mortality)
• People with diagnosed diabetes have health care costs 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes
• About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of neuropathy
• More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes
• About 65,700 nontraumatic lower-limb  amputations are performed in people with diabetes annually (180/day)
• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of all new cases of kidney failure
• Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes, and the risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years
• The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. increased by 128% from 1988 to 2008
• Diabetes kills more Americans every year than AIDS and breast cancer combined

 In the next few articles in this series we will strike a happier tone by covering some of the ways diabetes can be mitigated or reversed. There is plenty of hope and good news so there is no need to despair despite the statistics. We will also discuss the psychology of diabetes and its effect on the lives of those that have it and the people who help care for them.

Diabetes: A 21st Century Scourge - The Ravages of Diabetes

So far we have discussed some of the causes of diabetes mellitus (aka Type II diabetes). Now it is time to look at what diabetes does or can do to the body if reversal or proper mitigation is not undertaken (*Note: I did not use the word “management” purposefully which will be discussed later). Diabetes has a methodical way of slowly shutting down very important body processes. At first it is a silent thief roaming the body undetected causing painless harm. Later the harm becomes great enough to cause discomfort, outright pain or worse. The silent portion of the process can take years and could remain undiscovered for much of that time. The resulting complications are life changing.

Our Poor Eyes

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness affecting 4.1 million adults in the U.S. The blindness is caused primarily by a condition called diabetic retinopathy. One of the most devastating aspects of diabetes is how it affects blood flow and circulation. As blood flow to the retinas decrease due to diabetes the body attempts to compensate by creating new blood vessels. Unfortunately these blood vessels tend to be weak and they rupture. Bleeding in the retina obstructs vision and the laser treatments used to stop the bleeding often destroys portions of the retina. Retinal hemorrhaging and treatments for it can separately or in combination cause permanent blindness.  

On Pins and Needles

Circulatory issues figure prominently with Type II diabetes. It can cause blindness and it can also cause another condition called neuropathy. Neuropathy occurs as blood vessels that supply the peripheral nervous system begin to weaken. The peripheral nerves, starved of nourishment, begin to degenerate creating pain. At first it could feel like being pricked by pins and needles as numbness begin to set in. A downward spiral ensues with ever decreasing circulation causing ever increasing pain.

Ulcers and Infections

Foot ulcers, because of poor or insufficient blood supply, can become a common problem. Blood vessels have the tendency to become clogged in diabetics especially in the extremities robbing them of nourishment and proper attention from the immune system. No nourishment causes tissues to degenerate causing ulcers. In addition, simple cuts or bruises can result in life threatening infections. Both conditions can lead to the onset of gangrene and require amputation of the infected limb. There are approximately 185,000 amputations per year in the U.S. with more than half of those (54%) attributed to vascular diseases (either diabetes or peripheral arterial disease). Diabetics are cautioned to take good care of their feet paying close attention to them. Most practitioners would advise diabetics to never go barefoot and to keep their feet warm, dry and clean.