The Key to Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Milt Bedingfield
HuffPost
Posted: March 26, 2011 11:52 AM
It is estimated that approximately 57 million people have prediabetes. To me, one million sounds like a lot, I can't even begin to fathom a number as big as 57 million. This enormously, huge number is twice the number of people that already have diabetes, estimated to be 26 million.
A little over one-quarter of these people, approximately seven million don't even know that they already have the disease. In fact, it is estimated that one out of every two people that are newly diagnosed with diabetes already have at least one diabetes related complication at the time of their diagnosis. These complications do not occur overnight, which means the diabetes did not just recently develop. The real tragedy, is that in most diabetes complications are not reversible. Can you imagine, "Well your lab results came back and it looks like you have type 2 diabetes. And that numbness and sporadic burning you have been experiencing in your feet is what we call neuropathy. It is caused from having diabetes. You are going to have it from now on because it doesn't go away once you get it?" Think of the frustration; imagine the anger.
If you put aside for a moment the mental anguish and physical discomfort associated with diabetes, consider the following. In 2007, the total direct and indirect health care costs of diabetes were 174 billion. Medical costs are over twice as high for people with diabetes than those without the disease. Diabetes is undoubtedly one of the most expensive illnesses of our time.
For as long as I have been an adult, I can remember the cost of health care being an issue. The selection of our presidents has been decided in large part based upon their position on health care reform; how they were going to improve it or fix it.
(More here.)
HuffPost
Posted: March 26, 2011 11:52 AM
It is estimated that approximately 57 million people have prediabetes. To me, one million sounds like a lot, I can't even begin to fathom a number as big as 57 million. This enormously, huge number is twice the number of people that already have diabetes, estimated to be 26 million.
A little over one-quarter of these people, approximately seven million don't even know that they already have the disease. In fact, it is estimated that one out of every two people that are newly diagnosed with diabetes already have at least one diabetes related complication at the time of their diagnosis. These complications do not occur overnight, which means the diabetes did not just recently develop. The real tragedy, is that in most diabetes complications are not reversible. Can you imagine, "Well your lab results came back and it looks like you have type 2 diabetes. And that numbness and sporadic burning you have been experiencing in your feet is what we call neuropathy. It is caused from having diabetes. You are going to have it from now on because it doesn't go away once you get it?" Think of the frustration; imagine the anger.
If you put aside for a moment the mental anguish and physical discomfort associated with diabetes, consider the following. In 2007, the total direct and indirect health care costs of diabetes were 174 billion. Medical costs are over twice as high for people with diabetes than those without the disease. Diabetes is undoubtedly one of the most expensive illnesses of our time.
For as long as I have been an adult, I can remember the cost of health care being an issue. The selection of our presidents has been decided in large part based upon their position on health care reform; how they were going to improve it or fix it.
(More here.)
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