By Dr. Benjamin Ozanne and Dr. Brandon Vinzant
More than 1 in 10 American adults has diabetes. Diabetes patients spend an average of $6,000 annually on costs for treating their disease, according to a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports Health. But the total doesn’t include the costs of medical complications that often result from Type 2 diabetes, such as heart disease, strokes, liver and kidney damage, eye damage and a susceptibility to infections and poor healing that can lead to amputations. The C.D.C. estimates that diabetic patients on average pay twice as much as those without the illness for health care.
More than 1 in 10 American adults has diabetes. Diabetes patients spend an average of $6,000 annually on costs for treating their disease, according to a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports Health. But the total doesn’t include the costs of medical complications that often result from Type 2 diabetes, such as heart disease, strokes, liver and kidney damage, eye damage and a susceptibility to infections and poor healing that can lead to amputations. The C.D.C. estimates that diabetic patients on average pay twice as much as those without the illness for health care.
The multi-billion dollar drugs marketed as treatment for diabetes have not been successful against the biggest cause of death related to it: heart disease. Four new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine are a wake-up call to diabetics who rely on drugs to lower their risk of heart attacks and strokes.(more)
