|
Diabetes: Fighting an Epidemic
We hope to defeat diabetes by finding better methods of diabetes prevention, detection, and treatment. In the United States alone, an estimated 18.2 million people have diabetes. By the year 2010, that number is expected to reach more than 28 million. Research shows that the majority of people with diabetes are not meeting the treatment goals recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
In fact, according to the ADA, more than five million people with diabetes are undiagnosed. Many are unaware that they have the disorder until its destructive complications - including blindness, kidney disease, nerve damage, and amputation - have become evident. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) diabetes contributed to the deaths of 213,062 Americans in 2000. Diabetes is one of the single most destructive health problems in the United States. Enormous economic implications compound the physical suffering caused by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Economic Implications
Each year diabetes costs the United States billions of dollars. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the total cost of diabetes in 2002 has been estimated at $132 billion. More than half of the total amount - about $92 billion - went toward direct healthcare expenses. The remaining $40 billion represented lost productivity from death or disability.
Diabetes-care costs are staggering. They account for $1 of every $10 spent on healthcare in the United States, and for $1 of every $4 spent on nursing home, home health and hospice care provides services to people with diabetes, as reported by the ADA. For the individual, diabetes can be a crippling financial burden. The average person with diabetes spends nearly three times as much on healthcare as someone who does not have diabetes.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disorder that has no cure. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by insulin deficiency. It is more likely to occur in children and young adults with a family history of type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin, has become insensitive to the insulin produced, or both. Type 2 diabetes can result from obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, especially for people who are predisposed to developing the disorder. In addition, type 2 diabetes is more prevalent among African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.
Total Care
Scientific research and discovery are powerful tools in the prevention and treatment of health disorders, but they are only part of the picture. Optimal diabetes management emphasizes total care - including medical, psychosocial and family support. Through disease-management programs such as Keeping Well With Diabetes, we focus on patient awareness and education. This program couples professional guidance with comprehensive educational materials developed for people with diabetes and their caregivers.
|
