The rate of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in America is expected to increase from 23.7 million to 44.1 million cases in the next 25 years. The cost of treating diabetes is expected to triple in that time from $113 billion per year to $336 billion per year. The rate at which diabetes is being diagnosed in the elderly population is rising along with the soaring rates of obesity. [CNN] The study predicts the number of people covered by Medicare will rise from 8.2 million to 14.6 million, and annual Medicare spending on diabetes will jump from $45 billion to $171 billion [Rueters]. Until now studies have underestimated the magnitude of the diabetes problem in America and the strain it will put on an already suffering health care system.
Diabetics are often treated for the illness for extended periods and over time their risk of secondary complications also increases, like end-stage renal disease, coronary artery disease, and stroke. "We believe our model provides a more precise estimate of what the population size will look like and what it will cost the country and government programs like Medicare,"says Dr. Elbert Huang of the University of Chicago whose study appeared in the journal of Diabetes Care [ABC]. The study was funded by Novo Nordsk, a company that makes insulin injection systems for the treatment of diabetes, but they played no roll in the study's design or administration.
Diabetes type 1 develops during childhood and inhibits a person's ability to make insulin. Without insulin glucose from food cannot be broken down and made into energy. Diabetes type 2, on the other hand, is often caused by obesity. The body becomes insulin resistant or the pancreas stops producing enough insulin. Oftentimes type 2 diabetes goes undetected for years because there may be little or no noticeable symptoms.
11 percent of adults in the U.S. have diabetes. The majority have type 2 diabetes. [Reuters] About 57 million of these are undiagnosed cases. Every year, at least 13,000 young people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. With poor eating habits and minimal exercise, we're also seeing more and more cases of type 2 diabetes in children. In 2006, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in U.S. [CDC]
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