Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
Keeping
Diabetes under control still difficult for
many Americans
Newswise — Only slightly more than half of
the 18 million Americans diagnosed with
diabetes had their blood sugar, cholesterol,
and blood pressure under optimum control in
2006, according to the latest News and
Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality.
The federal agency's analysis found that
about 55 percent of American adults with
diabetes had their blood sugar and total
cholesterol levels under control, and about
59 percent had their blood pressure under
control.
Failure to properly manage diabetes can
increase the risk of complications such as
heart attack and stroke.
Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death
in the United States, with $116 billion
spent on medical care for people with the
disease, according to AHRQ's recently
released 2008 National Healthcare
Disparities Report.
The report also indicates that another 6
million Americans may have diabetes but
don't know it.
In addition, the report shows that:
o In 2006, just 43 percent of blacks and 38
percent of Mexican-Americans with diabetes
had their blood sugar levels under control,
compared with 61 percent of non-Hispanic
whites with diabetes.
o From 2002 to 2006, the percentage of
people with diabetes who had their blood
pressure under control improved for blacks,
from 39 percent to 58 percent, and for
Mexican-Americans, from 49 percent to 67
percent. By 2006, there were no significant
differences in blood pressure control among
blacks, Mexican-Americans, and non-Hispanic
whites with diabetes.
This AHRQ News and Numbers summary is based
on data from the 2008 National Healthcare
Disparities Report (http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr08/nhdr08.pdf)
which examines the disparities in Americans'
access to and quality of health care, with
breakdowns by race, ethnicity, income, and
education.
... ..
...
...