Health News
Diabetes, a bigger problem in Kentucky than in most states, is exploding nationally. The number of U.S. adults treated for the disease more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has estimated. About 19 million adults said they had been treated for the disease in 2007, up from 9 million in 1996, AHRQ reports. And the figures don't include perhaps millions of pre-diabetics who haven't been treated or even diagnosed.
- Researchers Say Aggressively Treating Pre-diabetes Could Stop Or Delay Future Diabetic Complications
Treating pre-diabetes as if it is diabetes could delay or prevent future related health complications, according to doctors from three leading research institutions and the American Diabetes Association, says a press release from the University of North...
- Share Of Kentuckians Reporting They Had Been Diagnosed As Diabetic Nearly Tripled From 1995 To 2010
We're not just getting fatter, Kentucky, we're becoming chronically ill because of it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of diagnosed diabetes in Kentucky has increased dramatically in the last decade and a...
- Kentucky Ranked Sixth In Nation For Obesity, Fourth In High Blood Pressure, Second For Diabetes
A new report shows 29.5 percent of Kentuckians are obese, sixth highest in the nation. The state ranked second in the nation for the highest percentage of diabetes, with 13.7 percent of Kentucky residents diagnosed with the disease, and fourth in...
- Diabetic Youth Have Medical Costs Of More Than $9,000 A Year
Children who have diabetes incur medical costs of more than $9,000 a year, a number that is six times greater than for children who don't have the disease, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found. Most of the expenses...
- Learning About Your Diabetes Risk
By Jamie Strauss, R.D., L.D.N., Clinical Dietitian, Sinai Hospital How many people do you know have diabetes? How many of those people that have diabetes knew they were at risk? And how many people are walking around undiagnosed? November is American...
Health News
Number of U.S. adults treated for diabetes more than doubled in a decade; it's a big problem in Kentucky
Diabetes, a bigger problem in Kentucky than in most states, is exploding nationally. The number of U.S. adults treated for the disease more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has estimated. About 19 million adults said they had been treated for the disease in 2007, up from 9 million in 1996, AHRQ reports. And the figures don't include perhaps millions of pre-diabetics who haven't been treated or even diagnosed.
Newswise, a news service about research, reports the AHRQ numbers also show:
? Costs for outpatient care doubled nationwide from about $5 billion to about $10 billion.
? Total prescription costs jumped from $4 billion to $19 billion. Patients paid an average of $1,048 for prescription meds in 2007, compared to $495 in 1996. (Read more)
Kentucky's trends are also alarming. In 2009, Kentucky was ranked fourth highest in the nation in prevalence of diabetes. A fact sheet from the state Diabetes Prevention and Control Program shows 8 percent of Kentuckians aged 35 to 44 were diagnosed with the disease. In 2000, less than 2 percent in the same age category had it. Prevalence is also increasing in seniors. In 2000, 14 percent of seniors 65 and older had diabetes. In 2009, 22 percent did.
The impacts of the disease are significant, the fact sheet indicates. In 2007, diabetes accounted for about 18 percent of hospitalizations in Kentucky, or almost 120,000 hospitalizations.
Why is diabetes increasing? Officials with the state diabetes program blame high obesity rates (30 percent of Kentucky adults), low rates of physical activity (30 percent of are considered inactive), and large shares of the population with high blood pressure (38.5 percent) and high cholesterol (30 percent).
The federal Centers for Disease Control also assess the ramifications of the disease. For a county-by-county estimate of diabetes diagnoses, go here.
- Researchers Say Aggressively Treating Pre-diabetes Could Stop Or Delay Future Diabetic Complications
Treating pre-diabetes as if it is diabetes could delay or prevent future related health complications, according to doctors from three leading research institutions and the American Diabetes Association, says a press release from the University of North...
- Share Of Kentuckians Reporting They Had Been Diagnosed As Diabetic Nearly Tripled From 1995 To 2010
We're not just getting fatter, Kentucky, we're becoming chronically ill because of it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of diagnosed diabetes in Kentucky has increased dramatically in the last decade and a...
- Kentucky Ranked Sixth In Nation For Obesity, Fourth In High Blood Pressure, Second For Diabetes
A new report shows 29.5 percent of Kentuckians are obese, sixth highest in the nation. The state ranked second in the nation for the highest percentage of diabetes, with 13.7 percent of Kentucky residents diagnosed with the disease, and fourth in...
- Diabetic Youth Have Medical Costs Of More Than $9,000 A Year
Children who have diabetes incur medical costs of more than $9,000 a year, a number that is six times greater than for children who don't have the disease, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found. Most of the expenses...
- Learning About Your Diabetes Risk
By Jamie Strauss, R.D., L.D.N., Clinical Dietitian, Sinai Hospital How many people do you know have diabetes? How many of those people that have diabetes knew they were at risk? And how many people are walking around undiagnosed? November is American...