Diabetes

HealthWatch for June 2009
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1 in every 13 Americans has diabetes; meaning, as many as 24 million Americans are affected by this chronic disease. For reasons that are not yet clear, in the last ten years, the rate of new diabetes cases has nearly doubled. Public Health Authorities are even calling the diabetes prevalence an “epidemic” that requires urgent attention. 

Diabetes costs an estimated $58 billion in lost wages and productivity annually, and as the percentage of Americans suffering with obesity or sedentary lifestyles increases, these health care dollars along with lost wages are soaring even higher.

Many people miss the early warning signs of diabetes or attribute them to something else, causing the disease to go undiagnosed and delaying treatment. If left untreated, the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves are at risk for damage and this damage may cause devastating complications. It is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.  The predominant cause of leg amputations and preventable hospitalization in the Cleveland area has been accredited to diabetes as well.

Luckily, the most common form of diabetes can often be prevented or controlled.

For more resource or information on diabetes, click on these links below:

Local and State
Cleveland Clinic: Diabetes Resources
University Hospitals: Diabetes Management Program
Ohio Department of Health (ODH): Diabetes Prevention and Control
Diabetes Association: Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland

National
American Diabetes Association