Diabetes Complications Are Damaging

Robert W. Griffith, MD

As the frequency of type 2 diabetes grows, so does the number of people with complications. A national education program called the State of Diabetes Complications in America, created by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, updates the situation.

Of the 18 million type 2 diabetics in the USA , three out of five (58%) have one or more complications. The commonest is chronic kidney disease, affecting as many as 5 million diabetics. About half the cases of end-stage renal disease (i.e. cases requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant) are caused by diabetes.

Foot problems can affect 4 million diabetics; they may be due to neuropathy (nerve damage) or blood vessel damage, resulting in infection or even tissue death necessitating amputation.

Diabetic eye disease (glaucoma, cataract, and retinopathy) affects 3.4 million type 2 diabetics; inattention to this can result in blindness.

Other conditions related to the damage that occurs to the smaller blood vessels include heart attack (myocardial infarction), angina (chest pain), congestive heart failure, and stroke.

We must note that most complications are more common in men than in women, in Hispanics and blacks rather than in whites, and, obviously, more common in those with poorly-controlled diabetes. And the costs are considerable. A heart attack costs about $15,000 on average, chronic kidney disease about $9,000, and heart failure or stroke about $8,000 annually.

The best thing to do is to avoid type 2 diabetes completely - or at least control it adequately. This is quite possible in many cases, using diet, exercise, other lifestyle improvements, and medication, if necessary.

Source
HealthandAge Blog

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