A Diabetic Did You Know: When it comes to virtually any topic there will be those who will not be satisfied until they have hard evidence to support what they have been reading or what they have heard. For this article we are gleaning details from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Diabetic Association (ADA).
Did you know…
- The average hospital stay for issue related to diabetes is 4.7 days and over half a million diabetics will require hospitalization annually.
- One in ten Americans has diabetes – some have yet to be diagnosed.
- 18,250 diabetics go blind every year.
- 14,600 young people 16 and younger are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes every year. 3,650 more will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
- 73,000 people die from diabetes every year. Approximately the same number will undergo a lower-limb amputation due to complications from diabetes.
- 1,460,000 individuals will be diagnosed with this disease each year.
- More than 47,000 diabetics will develop kidney failure.
- The annual economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was estimated to be $174 billion.
- $6,649 of annual health care costs for diabetics is directly attributed to the disease.
- 445,000 cases of unemployment disability in 2007 were attributed to diabetes.
- Lost productivity due to premature death is $26.9 billion among those who had been diagnosed with diabetes.
There is good news. When armed with information some individuals have been able to manage existing diabetes or, if caught early enough, avoided through a positive change in lifestyle.
The good news is there are new breakthroughs being announced regularly that help diabetics live life better while successful managing the disease and slowing the effects of diabetes.
One of the key issues that can be addressed by every American is diet and exercise. Several national organizations work to encourage personal mobility in the form of walking, bike riding and cardiovascular exercise. Diet plans suggest ways to minimize potential risk to your heart and aid in managing risk when it comes to diabetes.
Science has developed multiple pharmaceuticals that can assist in the daily care of this disease while minimizing symptoms, and allowing normal daily activity.
Support groups are a lifeline for many who need the additional encouragement to find personal success in both willpower and in proactive steps to take control of the advance of diabetes.
The good thing about statistics is they are just numbers. Yes they represent real people in real circumstances, but they don’t have to represent you. The power to mange the care of your disease lies in multiple daily choices that might allow you to say…
Did you know…
- I lowered my cholesterol.
- I have been effective at managing blood sugar through diet and exercise.
- I have found support and I have supported others in refusing to let diabetes control my life.
- I pay attention to what my health care provider says and I see improvements in my life.
- There are too many others in my life to live in depression.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes some of the statistics seem overwhelming, but many diabetics live long and productive lives, but they did so with a brave mix of positive thinking, proper medical care and personal change.
That’s one statistic we can all live with.
