Diabetes Pharmacist Blog : Focus Express Mail Pharmacy : Insulin Pumps, Diabetes Supplies and Information

Read the next paragraph and tell me what you think:

"The prevalence of arthritis is astoundingly high in people with diabetes," said Dr. John H. Klippel, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation. "Over half the people with diabetes have arthritis."
Although there appears to be a connection between arthritis and diabetes, the reason for it isn't known, Klippel said. A possible explanation is obesity, which is a risk factor for both osteoarthritis and diabetes, he speculated.

Maybe the REAL reason is that most people with diabetes are over 40 years old and would have arthritis anyway! The overall population is getting older, the "Baby Boomers" are getting older, and, the average age in this country is going up because we are all living longer! Check out these statistics that prove me right.

According to information from Steven Reinberg of HealthDayNews: "With two-thirds of U.S. adults overweight or obese, the number of people with type 2 diabetes continues to rise while their ages at the time of diagnosis drops, a new study finds. In the late 1980s and early '90s, the average age of an adult diagnosed with type 2 diabetes was 52, but now people are being diagnosed in their middle 40s. " And, according to a graph from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), in 2005 there were 1.5 million people over the age of 20 diagnosed with diabetes." But, almost all, 1.3 million people, were over the age of 40!  Now, 3 years later, the number of Type 2 is increasing dramatically. There are many more type 2 adult diabetics in the diabetes population than Type 1 insulin dependent diabetes.

According to Arthritis Pain Self Help, there are 16 million sufferers of various forms of arthritis in the US, 8 million in the UK and 3 million in Australia, with an average age of 45, that are using arthritis drugs and pain relievers.

So, I have to conclude that it is purely coincidental that most diabetics have arthritis. I would love to see what the average age was of the people in the Arthritis-Diabetes Study. I bet they were over 40. It would be interesting to find out.

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In a project described in the March/April Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, employers in 10 U.S. cities agreed to waive copays for employees’ diabetes meds, and to fund regular meetings between pharmacists and diabetic employees. A year after the project launched, 914 patients who had been enrolled for at least three months ....MORE

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In a given day:

• 4000 new cases of diabetes will be diagnosed.
• 600 people will die from diabetes complications.
• 200 people will undergo an amputation due to diabetes.
• 100 cases of kidney failure will occur due to diabetes

These statistics were grimly uttered by Ann Albright, Director of the Division of Diabetes Translation for the Center for Disease Control (CDC).Additionally, she said that "of the children born in America in 2000, one in three will develop diabetes in their lifetime."

In addition, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 21 million people in the United States who are diagnosed with diabetes and if something dramatic does not occur in the next 20 years, this number will double! The costs for diabetes will exceed $174 billion dollars in 2008.

• $116 million on medical expenditures
• $58 million on reduced national productivity

"We are spending $174 billion dollars each year on diabetes, just imagine what that will be like when the number of diabetics double" says former Acting US Surgeon General Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu.

The ADA further states that "individuals with diabetes have medical expenditures at about 2.3 times higher than those without diabetes. The average cost incurred among individuals with diabetes is $11,744 per year with $5,649 attributed directly to diabetes."

This has gone from being a serious problem to one that will soon affect every person in this country! Why you ask? Here's why:

• Insurance companies will be paying more for medical costs which will raise EVERYONE'S insurance premiums.
• There will be lower productivity in the workplace which will hurt these same employers who will be paying the higher premiums.
• There will be reduced earnings for individuals and families.
• There will be higher taxes for us all as a portion of the burden of increased health care costs will affect the government and guess who has to pay for that?
• All of this combined means a lower quality and standard of living.

These statistics do not lie. They're getting worse every day. Something has to be done NOW to help everyone who has diabetes but even more let's do all we can, as individuals,  to PREVENT diabetes (Type II)  from occurring in ourselves, our families, and our friends.

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According to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, increasing numbers and percentages of Americans older than 65 having diagnosed diabetes is growing fast, which together with reducing death rates and lack of improvement in treating side effects, is contributing significantly to the growing burden of paying for and providing their medical care. MORE......

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