Death Rate Drops Among Americans With Diabetes: CDC

By David Beasley

ATLANTA, May 22 (Reuters) - A 40 percent decline in the death rate of diabetic American adults from heart disease and strokes is a sign that patients are taking better care of themselves and receiving improved treatment, according to a government study released on Tuesday.

While the drop in death rates from cardiovascular disease was the most dramatic, overall death rates among diabetic adults dropped 23 percent from 1997 to 2006, according to the study by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

"Diabetes leads to many complications and shorter life spans," Edward Gregg, the study's lead author and chief of epidemiology and statistics in CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"The fact that we found substantially lower death rates in both men and women was very encouraging," he said.

Diabetics are less likely to smoke than in the past and more likely to be physically active, the CDC said, although it noted that obesity levels among diabetics continues to rise. Better control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol may also have contributed to the decline in death rates among diabetics, it said.

"When you see an effect on mortality like this, it's not due to one factor, it's really all those factors," said Gregg.

The study examined data from 250,000 patients.

Despite the significant decline in diabetic deaths from cardiovascular disease, the rate is still twice as high as those without the disease, the CDC said.

On average, diabetes diagnosed in middle age reduces a patient's life expectancy by 10 years, although the gap likely will narrow as diabetics live longer, said Gregg.

An estimated 25.8 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is marked by high levels of glucose in the blood, the CDC said. The number of people with diabetes continues to increase, said Gregg.

Obesity is a major cause of the increase in Type 2 diabetes, which is most common in adults, he said.

"There's still a long way to go," said Gregg. "The fact that Type 2 diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle intervention means that we really need to do more." (Editing by Tom Brown)

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Comments

[oldvet]

09:22 PM on 05/24/2012

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes 14 years ago at age 60. I have no signs of diabetes, such as neuropathy, poor circulation, vision problems, etc. and expect to live as long, if not longer than my counterparts who do not have diabetes.

I am not unique among Type 2 diabetics. My way of dealing with diabetes is simple, I am careful what I eat, check my blood glucose level 3 times a day, exercise almost every day, and weigh the same as I did when I graduated from high school 56 years ago. (I'm 5'9" and weigh 165 lbs.)

I still work full time as an executive in a company I helped found and am blessed to have a wonderful family and an optimistic attitude about life.

[FrankInCarson]

06:16 AM on 05/24/2012

"Learn how to live with hunger pains... They don't last" The menthol contained in a glass of Peppermint tea soothes the stomach. Make it sweet with artificial sweetener.

[FrankInCarson]

06:13 AM on 05/24/2012

I am a diabetic for 20 years. I have been blessed to have only a few health problems. I have found the secret is not in pills and shots (take them if you have them from a Physician) but in curtaining the amount of sugar, wheat, and flour in your diet. Stop eating after 6 pm and fast until 6 am. Drinking peppermint tea sweetened with Equal curbs the hunger pain better than any thing I've ever tried. Make the tea at 6 pm and keep a jug of it handy until you go to bed. If you wake up hungry, take a "swig" of the tea. When your sugar is elevated, it is like crushed glass circulating in your body. Enormous damage is being done. What tastes as good as an amputated foot, or kidney dialysis? Take charge of your sugar, or your sugar will take charge of you!

[geddy lee is a god]

11:43 AM on 05/23/2012

Fantastic news. I am Type 1myself and follow proper disease management practices. I take my daily injections, eat right/exercise to maintain a healthy weight, and frequently test throughout the day. I also carry a small bag within my regular shoulder bag that contains alcohol pads, an insulin pen, glucose tablets and/or a mini pack of cookies, and testing supplies.

I like how pharmaceutical companies donate drug samples and supplies to many community health organizations that treat low-income or uninsured patients who have diabetes. Diabetes doesn't care if you're insured or not; it will cause organ failure as well as loss of limbs, vision, and eventually death if left untreated. I'm glad that diabetic patients without health coverage have access to the medicine and supplies to help them manage their disease.

Healthy initiatives such as community walking/jogging trails, the presence of Farmer's Markets that are expanding into more areas in addition to them accepting EBT benefits, and organization-sponsored exercise programs have an impact on diabetes-related mortality and morbidity rates as well.

It's great to see that people are developing healthy lifestyles and following disease management programs. Let's keep this momentum going.

[roudy]

12:26 AM on 05/23/2012

The medical industry at all levels LOVES the diabetes epidemic, it's their bread and butter.

[I-US]

05:44 PM on 05/22/2012

That is a very encouraging finding. And coupled with the other stories on here about increased fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption and decreased consumption of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and too much salt and calls to increase physical activity, we may finally see a really promising shift in the health of the nation.