Evaluation Of Epidemiological Problem Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease where the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed for proper storage and use of carbohydrates. Without it, blood sugar levels can become too high or too low, resulting in a diabetic emergency. It affects about 7.8% of the population. The incidence of diabetes is known to increase with age. It’s the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US, and is the primary cause of blindness and foot and leg amputation. It is known to cause neuropathy in up to 70% of diabetic patients. Individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

Background Audience Relevance: Diabetes is a disease that now in days is becoming more common to society because of the lifestyle in which many of us eat and how easy and cheap it is to obtain unhealthy fast food.

According to the American Diabetes Association, more Americans die each year from diabetes than from AIDS and breast cancer combined. As a result, researchers have extensively studied the causes, treatments, and interventions for diabetes. Despite efforts to ameliorate its effects, diabetes remains a prevalent danger in society. In 2014, 7% of U.S. adults were living with diagnosed diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). In Louisiana that number was even higher - 10.4% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. Breaking it down by age group, however, in Louisiana 3% of people aged 18 and 44 have been diagnosed, and 15.2% of people 45-64. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015a). Several studies have predicted future rates of diabetes both in the United States and worldwide - nearly all of these studies reached a similar conclusion: rates of diabetes will continue to rise (Boyle et al., 2001).

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a pandemic that affects millions of people. The growth rate of unrecognized pre-diabetes in America is expected to rise up to 52% by 2020 (Lorenzo, 2013). As the prevalence of diabetes increases, so will the complications and burden of the disease. One of the leading causes for cardiovascular disease, renal failure, nontraumatic lower limb amputations, stroke, and new cases of blindness is DM (Lorenzo, 2013).

Uncontrolled diabetes can affect nearly every organ of the body; of which, heart disease and kidney failure are most commonly impacted. Known as diabetes mellitus, a collective term for various blood abnormalities, the term diabetes refers to either a scarcity of insulin in the body or the body’s inability to accept insulin. Though the symptoms of diabetes are manageable, many are unaware as to having it. According to the CDC report “2011 Diabetes Fact Sheet,” approximately 6 million people in the United States have undiagnosed diabetes. Undetected, diabetes can become deadly. In a recent World Health Organization report “Diabetes Action Now: An Initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation,” it

Diabetes affects over 180 million people in the US and is projected that by 2025 this figure will increase to 300 million.

Diabetes mellitus has a worldwide prevalence of 8.3 percent of the population with the amount of new cases diagnosed per year

Currently Healthy People has identified diabetes as one of the 7th leading causes of death in the United States. Diabetes is defined as chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is not working correctly. There are several kinds of diabetes but the most common are: diabetes type one which is when the body does not produce insulin, diabetes type two is when the body does not use insulin and creates resistance to insulin, it is the most common among diabetics, and other diabetes types are usually gestational, which can be the short term. Not only does diabetes lead to death, it shortens the life expectancy, it also increases the risks for heart disease and it leads to kidney failure which leads to other organ failure. In addition to being

The effects of diabetes are nothing less than devastating. It is a disease that is affected by interdependent genetic, social, economic, cultural, and historic factors (CDC, 2011a). In the United States, nearly 26 million Americans are living with diabetes, and another 79 million Americans have prediabetes (CDC, 2011a). Diabetes has been associated with reducing the quality of life of people with the disease, and it also has a tremendous economic burden on our health care system. In 2007, diabetes and its complication accounted for $218 billion in direct and indirect costs in 2007 alone (Dall, et al., 2010).

Diabetes is a condition that affected nearly one hundred and fifteen millions Americans in 2012 ("Statistics About Diabetes"). A big number of the individuals is being affected, but it is frightening that diabetes awareness is not emphasized as greatly as other conditions. Diabetes is the increase in blood sugar, which can lead to heart disease. Heart disease is still as of today, the leading cause of death in the United States of America, so diabetes should be taken seriously. Although there is no cure as of today, there are a lot of steps that can be taken in order to maintain the condition.

Diabetes continues to be a growing problem for the United States population especially type 2 diabetes, which “accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes”(Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2014). Type 2 diabetes, formally known as adult onset diabetes, is defined as a “disorder of insulin resistance in which the cells primarily within the muscle, liver, and fat tissue do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises the cells in the pancreas gradually lose the ability to produce enough hormone”(CDC, 2014). Diabetes as a whole affects about “9.3% of the US population or 29.1 million people” (American Diabetes Association (ADA), 2014; CDC, 2014). Despite the high prevalence of the disease, it is only going to continue to grow if nothing is done to correct the problem. The “United States spent an estimated $245 billion on diabetes in 2012” (ADA, 2014; CDC, 2014). This outrageous number and the drastic impact diabetes has on health should emphasis the need to reduce the diabetic population in the future.

Diabetes is a major medical problem in the US. In the year 2015, it was reported that 86 million Americans are diagnosed with prediabetes (ADA, 2016). Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2016). Research has

Studies continue to show a troubling health trend: the instances of diabetes, particularly type 2, are on the rise in this country. Characterized by insulin resistance (insulin is not effective in the body) and elevated blood glucose levels, type 2 diabetes can result in both neural and metabolic dysfunction and lead to cardiovascular disease.

According to a study provided in USNews, there are regional issues when it comes to the rates of type-2 diabetes within the United States today (Seppa, 2011). The "diabetes belt" that can clearly be seen in the Southeast part of the country is one of these regional issues. Southern people, on average, tend to have a higher incidence of diabetes than people in other areas of the country. With that in mind, it is important to realize that there are various reasons why that is the case. It is not just one factor causing the problems, and it is not just the Southeast where diabetes is seen. There are other areas of the country where pockets of diabetes are seen, so no specific place or region of the country is immune to problems with diabetes. The following map shows the basic breakdown of diabetes across the country for the latest year where statistics on the issue are available (Seppa, 2011).

Diabetes is a major problem in our society today. Many people have heard about the disease; however, they do not know too much about its complications. Diabetes is a chronic, progressive and lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food (WebMD, 2016). Many new cases are confirmed every year and unfortunately, many go undiagnosed for years. Diabetes is a serious disease and need to be taking seriously. The disease can lead to many other health problems such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney diseases. The more the community understand and made aware of the seriousness of the disease, the better it can be control and or prevented.