(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New estimates predict the number of Americans
living with diabetes will double by the year 2034, tripling the costs of the
disease burden.
Experts predict the current 23.7 million cases of diabetes in the United States
will reach 44.1 million over the next 25 years.
Researchers say a large part of the increase will be attributed to the 77
million "baby boomers" born between 1946 and 1957, who are approaching
retirement age, as well as diabetes complications and federal health insurance.
Diabetes is also being diagnosed at younger ages, causing an increase in the
number of complications and treatment with more aggressive therapies.
“If we don't change our diet and exercise habits or find new, more effective and
less expensive ways to prevent and treat diabetes, we will find ourselves in a
lot of trouble as a population," Elbert Huang, M.D., assistant professor of
medicine at the University of Chicago, was quoted as saying.
“This is a serious challenge to Medicare and every other health plan in the
country," Michael O'Grady, Ph.D., senior fellow at the National Opinion Research
Center at the University of Chicago and study co-author, was quoted as saying.
“The cost of doing nothing is the significant increase in the pain and suffering
of America's population and a financial burden that will threaten the financial
viability of public and private insurers alike."
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, December 2009
