Diabetes On Rise : About 24 Million Americans Suffering From The Disease

According to the latest report presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today revealed that nearly 24 million people in US alone are suffering from diabetes, a rise of more than 3 million in last two years.

Apart from this nearly 57 million American people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, although not high enough to be called diabetes, such individuals are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetesdefine and cardiovascular disease.

The report came from the data gathered by the C.D.C which collaborated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2007 and revealed that almost 8 in 100 people in United States are afflicted with the disease.
Interestingly, the study found that around 30 to 20 percent of the people are unaware that they have the disease.

Diabetes is the seventh leading causes of death and disability in the United States, sixth leading cause of death in Australia, which has become a nation of fatties. The disease can cause serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, eye damage, impotence, neuropathy and feet problems.

Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation said, "These new estimates have both good news and bad news.”

"It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk. On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes. That is an indication that our efforts to increase awareness are working, and more importantly, that more people are better prepared to manage this disease and its complications," Dr. Ann said.

The report also found that various countries across the nation are also experiencing a rise in the disease at different rates. Southeast and Appalachia countries are the worst hit as the regions in these areas have chronically suffered an increased risk from both heart disease and stroke.

Albright said, "If states know which communities or areas have more people with diabetes, they can use that information to target their efforts or tailor them to meet the needs of specific communities."

The rise in number of diabetic patients could be due to the growing awareness of the symptoms of the disease among people. The rate of diagnosed diabetes found among various groups after adjusting population age differences was:

Alaska Natives and American Indians (16.5%)
Blacks (11.8%)
Hispanics (10.4%)
Puerto Ricans (12.6%)
Mexican Americans (11.9%)
Cubans (8.2%)
Asian Americans (7.5%)
Whites (6.6%)

The latest report is the first update of the prevalence of the disease since 2005, where they revealed that nearly 21 million people in the United States had the disease.

Diabetes can develop at any age. Type 2 diabetes is sometimes also called as lifestyle diabetes as it is more common in individuals who eat unhealthy diet, lead a sedentary lifestyle, smoke cigarette and are obese. It affects nearly 85 to 90% of all people with diabetes.

Earlier diabetes used to affect middle aged people, but now, younger people are also being diagnosed in greater numbers, as rates of overweight and obesity increase. Approximately 25% of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007. The causes of type 2 diabetes are known and in some cases it can be prevented; however there is no cure for type 2 diabetes.

If you want to reduce your risk, maintain an ideal weight, with a low fat diet, rich in high fibre carbohydrate foods such as wholegrain breads and cereals and vegetables and exercise regularly.

Last week an American study found that depressiondefine leads to type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes itself leads to depression --means depression and type 2 diabetes go hand in hand.

Latest study found that diabetics are more prone to hearing loss than other people. Hearing loss is almost twice as common among diabetic adults than their healthy counterparts.