Project: You! Type 2

Diabetes is something I am very familiar with in the sense that most of my family members have the disease. My mother who is only 62 years old has been on dialysis for several years now and she has suffered countless medical issues, all of which are related to her diabetes.

Just this past year I made the decision to donate a kidney to my mom. We are currently in the process of completing all of our medical testing so we can have the surgery. We are hoping that we can do this soon because my mom's health is not that great.

One thing that I know for sure...I will not risk my health because of careless physical habits or bad nutrition. I have made a decision to make the lifestyle change that involves more exercise and a healthy nutritious diet...something I can live with forever..not a fad that I will get tired of!

If you know someone who has Diabetes or may be Pre-Diabetic...please let them know that there is help available...I can help anyone who is willing...this awful disease can be controlled if not reversed!

I look forward to hearing from you soon!







Treating diabetes
Diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular
disease, and lower-limb amputations, but people with diabetes can lower the occurrence of these and
other diabetes complications by controlling blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids. 

• Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a healthy meal plan and exercise program, losing excess weight, and taking oral medication. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need insulin to control their blood glucose. 

• To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump.

• Among adults with diagnosed diabetes (type 1 or type 2), 14% take insulin only, 13% take both insulin and oral medication, 57% take oral medication only, and 16% do not take either insulin or oral medication. Medications for each individual with diabetes will often change during the course of the disease.

• Many people with diabetes also need to take medications to control their cholesterol and blood pressure.

• Self-management education or training is a key step in improving health outcomes and quality of life. It focuses on self-care behaviors, such as healthy eating, being active, and monitoring blood sugar. It is a collaborative process in which diabetes educators help people with or at risk for diabetes gain the knowledge and problem-solving and coping skills needed to successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions.

Data from the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (the most recent year for which data is available)

Total: 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population—have diabetes.

Diagnosed: 17.9 million people

Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people

Pre-diabetes: 57 million people

New Cases: 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older each year.

Total prevalence of diabetes

Under 20 years of age

* 186,300, or 0.22% of all people in this age group have diabetes
* About one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes
* 2 million adolescents (or 1 in 6 overweight adolescents) aged 12-19 have pre-diabetes

Age 20 years or older

* 23.5 million, or 10.7% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Age 60 years or older

* 12.2 million, or 23.1% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Men

* 12.0 million, or 11.2% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes

Women

* 11.5 million, or 10.2% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes

Race and ethnic differences in prevalence of diagnosed diabetes

After adjusting for population age differences, 2004-2006 national survey data for people diagnosed with diabetes, aged 20 years or older include the following prevalence by race/ethnicity:

* 6.6% of non-Hispanic whites
* 7.5% of Asian Americans
* 11.8% of non-Hispanic blacks
* 10.4% of Hispanics

Among Hispanics rates were:

* 8.2% for Cubans
* 11.9% for Mexican Americans
* 12.6% for Puerto Ricans.

Morbidity and Mortality

Deaths


Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006. This ranking is based on the 72,507 death certificates in 2006 in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death. According to death certificate reports, diabetes contributed to a total of 233,619 deaths in 2005, the latest year for which data on contributing causes of death are available.

Complications

Heart disease and stroke

• In 2004, heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older. (My mother is among those still living with this issue...)
• In 2004, stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older.
• Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
• The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.

High blood pressure

• In 2003–2004, 75% of adults with self-reported diabetes had blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/80 mmHg, or used prescription medications for hypertension. (My mother is in this group as well...)

Blindness

• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.
• Diabetic retinopathy causes 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year. (My mother has had several surgeries to preserve her sight...so far so good!)

Kidney disease

• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2005.
• In 2005, 46,739 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage kidney disease in the United States and Puerto Rico.
• In 2005, a total of 178,689 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States and Puerto Rico. ( As I mentioned earlier...My mom is right here...)

Nervous system disease (Neuropathy)

• About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage. (Is there a need to keep mentioning how many of these things are effecting my mother?)

Amputation

• More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
• In 2004, about 71,000 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.

Cost of Diabetes

$174 billion: Total costs of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2007

* $116 billion for direct medical costs
* $58 billion for indirect costs (disability, work loss, premature mortality)

After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association has created a Diabetes Cost Calculator that takes the national cost of diabetes data and provides estimates at the state and congressional district level.

Factoring in the additional costs of undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes, and gestational diabetes brings the total cost of diabetes in the United States in 2007 to $218 billion.

• $18 billion for the 6.3 million people with undiagnosed diabetes
• $25 billion for the 57 million American adults with pre-diabetes
• $623 million for the 180,000 pregnancies where gestational diabetes is diagnosed


For Additional Information

These stastics and additional information can be found in the National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2007, the most recent comprehensive assessment of the impact of diabetes in the United States, jointly produced by the CDC, NIH, ADA, and other organizations.