New York Times Examines Shortcomings In Diabetes Care
August 22, 2007 – 10:44 pm | posted in DiabetesIn the latest installment of a series profiling the leading causes of death in the U.S., the New York Times on Monday examined diabetes — the fifth-leading cause of death behind heart disease, cancer, stroke and pulmonary disease. Almost 73,000 U.S. residents die from diabetes annually. Upon diagnosis, many patients with diabetes become “fixated” on controlling their blood sugar levels and neglect the need to lower their cholesterol level and take other steps to protect against heart disease, “which eventually kills nearly everyone with diabetes,” according to the Times.
A survey conducted by RoperASW for the American Diabetes Association showed that 18% of people with diabetes were aware of their increased risk for cardiovascular disease. According to CDC, only 7% of diabetes patients are receiving all the treatments they should have, including statins, blood pressure drugs, aspirin, insulin and drugs to lower blood sugar. In part, the “fault for the missed opportunities to prevent complications and deaths lies with the medical system,” according to the Times. Most diabetics are treated by primary care doctors who have received a few hours of training in diabetes while in medical school. These doctors often spend just a few minutes with diabetes patients, far less than such a complex condition requires, according to the Times.
In addition, drug advertisements tend to emphasize treatments to control blood sugar levels, which are expensive and have not been proven effective in saving lives. Meanwhile, public health campaigns often inaccurately portray diabetes as a result of improper diet and a sedentary lifestyle and promote the belief that losing weight is the best way to combat the condition. The Times notes that most diabetics “try hard but are unable to control their disease in this way, and most of the time it progresses as years go by, no matter what patients do” (Kolata [1], New York Times, 8/20).
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The Times on Monday also published three articles about treating and diagnosing diabetes.
* Care management: “Despite the fact that almost 20% of all health care dollars are spent on the management of people with diabetes, the diabetes epidemic and its associated pain and suffering grow and grow,” according to John Buse, president-elect for science and medicine at the American Diabetes Association. Buse offered five pieces of information that all diabetics should have (New York Times, 8/20).
* Contributing factors: Although the “havoc diabetes wreaks is clear … researchers are puzzled by many aspects of the disease,” including the role that obesity plays in its development and the ways in which high blood sugar levels lead to complications of diabetes, including heart disease, stroke and damage to the nerves, kidneys and eyes, the Times reports (Kolata [2], New York Times, 8/20).
* Statistics: The number of U.S. residents diagnosed with diabetes increased 61% from 1991 to 2001, according to CDC. The agency also noted a 74% increase in obesity during the same time period, “reflecting the strong correlation between obesity and the development of diabetes.” However, those numbers “may or may not reveal that the actual number of people with diabetes has exploded,” the Times reports, adding, “It may just be that more people are learning they have the disease, not that the number of those with it is increasing” (Kolata [3], New York Times, 8/20).
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