Rate of Diabetes is Up...and Growing

In a government phone survey that retrieved data from over 260,000 adults in the country, it was found that the rate of new diabetes cases has almost doubled in the past decade. The government also reported that the highest levels of diabetes were found in the South, particularly in West Virginia, with roughly 13 out of every 1,000 having been diagnosed with diabetes. Other Southern states with the highest rates were South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee, which all had a rate of at least 11 out of every 1,000 people contacted. The lowest rate of diabetes was in Minnesota, in which about 5 out of every 1,000 people surveyed had been diagnosed with the disease. Hawaii and Wyoming were also reported as having some of the lowest rates of diabetes, after Minnesota.

In 90% of the cases found, people had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which is commonly associated with obesity. Not surprisingly, the South is also noted for having high rates of obesity and heart disease. Also, higher rates of Type 2 diabetes are often found in older people and blacks, which are highly concentrated in the South, as well as in Hispanics, which Texas has a high concentration of. The survey only collected data on people that already know they have the disease, and did not provide data on those that have not yet been diagnosed. In the U.S. an estimated 1 in 4 diabetics have yet to be diagnosed with the disease. Moreover, the amount of undiagnosed cases is more likely than not higher in the South or in places where health care is limited.

The study, which was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, included 40 states and determined that an estimated 1.6 million new diabetes diagnoses were made last year in people age twenty and over. That rate reflects the increase from 5 per every 1,000 adults having been diagnosed with diabetes in the 1990s to the current rate of 9 per every 1,000 adults.

Diabetes causes serious complications including heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and other health issues that require the care of a doctor. If you or a loved one has medical malpractice questions in New York, please contact the malpractice lawyers of Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, serving clients in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.

Call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos Toll-free at 1-877-ASK 4 SAM