Following is the
section entitled
"Health Problems Related to Diabetes"
from the document "Diabetes: A National
Plan for Action", written in December 2004.
Diabetes
can have a significant impact on quality of life by increasing risk for a variety of
complications. These include:
- Blindness-Diabetes is the
leading cause of new cases
of blindness among adults
aged 20 to 74 years, with
the greatest number in
adults 65 years and older
(Figure 4). Retinopathy
causes 12,000 to 24,000
new cases of blindness each
year in people with
diabetes.
(30)
- Kidney Disease-Diabetes
is the leading cause of endstage
kidney disease,
accounting for 43 percent
of new cases each year
(Figure 5).
(31)
In 2001,
nearly 43,000 people with
diabetes began treatment
for end-stage kidney
disease and approximately
143,000 people with endstage
kidney disease were
living on chronic dialysis
or with a kidney transplant
due to diabetes.
(32)
The rate of diabetic end-stage kidney disease is 2.6 times higher
among Blacks than among Whites.
(33)
- High Blood Pressure-About 73 percent of adults with diabetes have blood pressure
greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg or use prescription medications for
hypertension.
(34)
- Heart Disease and Stroke-About
65 percent of deaths among people
with diabetes are due to heart
disease and stroke.
(35)
Adults with
diabetes have heart disease death
rates about two to four times
higher than adults without
diabetes. It is projected that in the
year 2025, twenty-nine percent of
all heart disease deaths will be due
to diabetes. The risk for stroke is two to four times higher among people
with diabetes.
- Nervous System Disease-About 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild
to severe forms of nervous system damage including impaired sensation or pain in the
feet or hands, carpal tunnel syndrome, slowed digestion of food in the stomach, and
other nerve problems.
(36)
Severe forms of nerve disease are a major contributing cause
of lower-extremity amputations for people with diabetes.
- Dental Disease-Gum disease is more common among people with diabetes. Among
young adults, those with diabetes have about twice the risk of developing gum disease
as those without diabetes. Almost one third of people with diabetes have severe gum
diseases.
- Amputations-More
than 60 percent of
nontraumatic lowerlimb
amputations occur
among people with
diabetes.
(37)
In 2000-
2001, about 82,000
nontraumatic lowerlimb
amputations were
performed annually
among people with
diabetes.
(38)
Blacks have
higher rates of lower
extremity amputations
than Whites.
(39)
- Pregnancy
Complications-Poorly controlled diabetes before conception and during the first
trimester of pregnancy can cause major birth defects in 5 percent to 10 percent of
pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in 15 percent to 20 percent of pregnancies.
(40)
Poorly controlled diabetes during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can
result in very large babies, posing a risk to the mother and the child during delivery.
- Other Complications-People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other
illnesses and often have worse outcomes. For example, people with diabetes are more
likely to die from pneumonia or the flu than people who do not have diabetes.
(41)
Early and optimal treatment is key to prevent or delay such complications.
30 CDC, National diabetes fact sheet, op.cit.
31 ibid.
32 ibid.
33 AHRQ,
34 CDC, National
35 ibid.
36 ibid.
37 ibid.
38 ibid.
39 AHRQ, op.cit.
40 CDC, National diabetes fact sheet, op.cit.
41 ibid.
From the NDEP
Dec2004
http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/NDAP/NDAP04.pdf
[PDF file]
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