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The early 1990s saw an explosion in the number of newly-diagnosed cases of Type-2 diabetes (T2DM). This rapidly progressive, upward trend continued through most of the last decade. It became partly expected, by the medical community, that this trend would continue unabated.
But new statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cast a glimmer of hope in an otherwise grim trend.
As can be observed in this graph, the number of newly-diagnosed cases peaked at around 1.7 million in 2008-09 and has decreased gradually to 1.4 million in 2014.
Part of the increase in incidence over the years was likely attributed to the criteria used to diagnose diabetes. The definition has become more broad and less stringent, hence encompassing a wider segment of the population.
Additionally, diagnostic techniques have improved, enabling more patients with blood sugar abnormalities to be identified; demographic changes in the population (aging population and increase in minority populations at greater risk for developing diabetes); lifestyles have become increasingly sedentary; and rising rates of obesity directly correlate to the increase in diabetes.
It seems pretty clear that the incidence rates have now actually started to drop, according to Edward Gregg, a top diabetes researcher at the CDC. Initially it was a little surprising because I had become so used to seeing increases everywhere we looked.
What partially accounts for this downward trend could be that Americans have adopted healthier eating habits that cut across different demographic groups. Additionally, there has been tremendous strides in public health outreach and education, making information accessible to those who are at greatest risk.
It s not yet time to have a parade, stated Dr. David M. Nathan, the director of the Diabetes Center and Clinical Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. He added however that, "[i]t has finally entered into the consciousness of our population that the sedentary lifestyle is a real problem, that increased body weight is a real problem.
The downward trend in incidence has been observed in whites, blacks and Hispanics. While the number of new cases has dropped in whites at a statistically significant level, it has not been so for blacks and Hispanics.
In the United States, 29.1 million people have been diagnosed with T2DM, comprising 9.3 percent of the overall population. According to data from the American Diabetes Association the total cost of diagnosed diabetes has risen to $245 billion in 2012, up sharply from $174 billion in 2007.
Diabetes can have potentially devastating consequences, ranging from heart attacks and strokes to blindness -- T2DM is the most common cause of blindness -- as well as kidney disease/dialysis and nerve damage. Moreover, the personal struggle of dealing with a chronic disease and maintaining a more stringent lifestyle greatly contribute to concomitant depression.
To know that there's a dent being made in what is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases should be considered a victory. The numbers are improving with other chronic conditions as well. The public is listening. More than ever, it becomes paramount to launch a full-scale effort to continue to combat diabetes.
