Author: Staff Writers

Decisions Made While Young Impact Diabetes Potential: We’ve all heard that small changes in your lifestyle and eating patterns can pay big dividends. Two recent studies provide the actual statistics involved in change.

The first findings are related to Latino youth. Those who participated in the study were all overweight and were an average of 15 and 16 years of age. A Forbes.com report discusses the three groups studied; “A control group; a group that received nutrition classes once a week, and a group that received nutrition education plus strength training twice a week.”

Emily Ventura, from the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, an author of the recent report said, “Latino children are more insulin-resistant and thus more likely to develop obesity-related chronic diseases than their white counterparts. To date, only a few studies have examined the effects of a high-fiber, low-sugar diet on metabolic health in overweight youth, and to our knowledge, none have tested the effects of this type of intervention in a mixed-sex group of Latino youth.”

A Los Angeles Times report states, “Researchers found that 55% of all participants cut their sugar consumption by 47 grams per day — the equivalent of one can of soda — and 59% of all teens upped their fiber by an average of 5 grams a day—the amount in about half a can of beans. That decreased sugar intake accounted for an average 33% decrease in insulin secretion. More fiber resulted in an average 10% less visceral fat, which is known to increase the risk of diseases such as diabetes.”

Researchers report that the majority of the test subjects saw improvement no matter what group they were in. They believe the reason has to do with the teen’s knowledge of what the study was intended to show. Researchers believe that provided the motivation needed for the teens to make meaningful changes that provided beneficial health outcomes.

The official report was recently released in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and piggybacks another finding related to youth and self-control.

This secondary report indicates, “Obesity in childhood and adolescence appears to track into adulthood, increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and certain cancers in adulthood. To mount effective preventive efforts, we need better information regarding the factors involved in the etiology of childhood overweight and obesity. Self-regulation failure is one such factor that has been implicated in the development of obesity.”

Children were subjected to studies that tested their willingness to wait to gain gratification from foods they really liked. In virtually all cases researchers used candy and other treats known to be favorites of the children involved. This report seems to indicate that most children have little motivation to wait to fulfill hunger or they have not been taught how to wait. This tends to lead to eating when there is no biological need to do so. In turn, this leads to weight gain and medical complications that may accompany this gain including diabetes.

The authors from Pennsylvania State University report, “Our findings support recent studies showing that obesity is a problem that has its roots early in life and that early self-regulation failure may play a role in predicting overweight and obesity in the adolescent years. Already at ages 3 and 5 years, children who exhibited signs of self-regulation failure had higher BMI z scores and rapid weight gain into early adolescence. Failure to self-regulate energy balance in the early years is likely to be stable over time. Findings from studies on the same sample of children used in this study showed that 60% of children who were overweight at any time during the preschool years and 80% of children who were overweight at any time during the elementary period were overweight at age 12 years.”

Diabetic Heart Screenings – How Important Are They: It seems that every disease confronting mankind is met with the medical warning to get screenings now and then keep getting regular screenings in order to arrest the potential of life altering difficulties.

That is, until now.

A recent report in The Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that, “Routine screening for coronary artery disease …did not result in a significant reduction in heart attacks or death from cardiac causes among patients with no symptoms of heart or artery disease followed for an average of five years,” according to WebMD.

Study participants had a very small percentage of “cardiovascular events” leading Lawrence H. Young, MD, of Yale University School of Medicine to tell WebMD, “There are about 20 million people living with type 2 diabetes in the United States. While patients with [cardiovascular] symptoms certainly should be screened, as an overall public health measure, generalized screening doesn’t appear to be appropriate.”

For many this news could alleviate separate stress symptoms that may not be necessary in most instances. Individuals who fear heart disease may be able to relax a bit knowing that consistent screenings may not be needed.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) indicates that adults with diabetes have a risk similar to that of a heart attack victim for a “fatal or life-threatening cardiovascular event.”

The Yale inspired study did not corroborate this finding. They did, however, conclude that more proactive care in responding to symptoms of potential heart disease might be having an impact in management. WebMD posted the following findings.

• Just seven nonfatal heart attacks and eight cardiac deaths occurred among patients who were screened (2.7%), compared to 10 nonfatal heart attacks and seven cardiac deaths among patients who were not screened (3%).
• Based on MPI (myocardial perfusion imaging) testing, fewer than one in four screened patients (23%) showed evidence of cardiovascular disease, and just 6% had evidence of advanced coronary artery blockages.
• Just over 5% of screened patients had surgery to restore blood flow to the heart over the course of the five-year study, compared to 7.8% of patients in the unscreened group.

The actual numbers may seem insignificant, but they are statistically important because spread over the 20 million Type 2 diabetics in America those small statistics may mean improved lives for thousands of patients.

Dr. Young continued by saying, “People with type 2 diabetes certainly have an increased risk for coronary artery disease, but the doom-and-gloom message of recent years may have been overstated. Patients receiving contemporary [preventive] treatment who are closely followed seem to do pretty well.”

The two key elements to making protracted screenings less necessary seem to be early diagnosis and proactive treatment of diabetes and related symptoms.

WebMD reported, “Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke, and diabetes patients have twice the incidence of heart disease as the general population.”

However, if the medical profession can catch patients before they begin to develop heart disease they may be very effective at reducing the overall number of diabetic patients who have heart attacks or need angioplasties or heart bypass operations.

The study this report is based on followed more than 1,100 patients to determine their ultimate findings. It should be noted that medical organizations like the ADA changed some of their guidelines after the study began. In all cases these organizations began calling for more, “aggressive treatment of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” according to WebMD.

The collective wisdom seems to suggest better health in proactive medicine.

Diabetics Can Live Longer By Laughing More: There is an ancient proverb that reads, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Many have long believed that a positive outlook on life can improve personal health, but new research points to the fact the humor really is good medicine – and that medicine can be especially important to diabetics.

Depression and diabetes often go hand in hand and the cycle of ineffective control and weariness can place patients on a negative course that could proverbially “dry the bones”.

According to a recent report by HealthDay the study’s author, Lee Berk of Loma Linda University said, “Laughter may be as valuable as the diabetes medicines you are taking.” Berk has research data to back up this claim.

Twenty study participants with an average age of fifty participated in the study. They were assigned to one of two control groups. One encouraged laughter while the other did not.

The HealthDay report indicated, “All had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Both groups were taking standard diabetes medications, high blood pressure medicines and cholesterol-lowering drugs.”

Those involved in the laughter group were encouraged to select a means of producing personal laughter. This was often accomplished by watching a sitcom or movie. No participant was told what to watch or how to come up with laughter. They were simply encouraged to find a way to laugh for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

Speaking of the laughter participants, Berk told HealthDay, “Once they got into it, they really liked it.”

This study was conducted over a year long period. The findings were significant. “The laughter group had an increase in “good” HDL cholesterol of 26 percent, compared to just a 3 percent increase in the good cholesterol of the control group, Berk said. Harmful C-reactive proteins declined by 66 percent in the laughter group but just 26 percent for the control group,” according to HealthDay.

Berk explained the reasons for the dramatic improvements this way, “You are decreasing the bad chemicals in the body with laughter and increasing the good chemicals, which help you stay well, may prevent disease and may well have [additional] value relative to the therapies you are taking.”

One of the greatest benefits for patients is that laughter does not cost anything. However, if you do not seek humor you may not find it. The study participants were encouraged to find forms of humor that would encourage laughter. It may seem to some either a waste of time or quack science, but the Loma Linda study showed a dramatic difference between those diabetic patients who laughed and those who did not.

To intentionally find ways to smile and laugh a bit may provide some motivation to engage in improved managed care for diabetes. It takes some effort and energy to laugh and that may supply the motivation to improve other aspects of personal care.
The HealthDay report included a comment from Sue McLaughlin, president of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). She said, “It is encouraging to know that something like laughter, which is cost-free and can be shared and promoted by many, has beneficial effects on the well-being of a chronic disease that affects 24 million Americans. People with diabetes are at a two- to fourfold increased risk for cardiovascular disease, compared to their non-diabetic counterparts.”
Maybe finding a reason for laughter is more important to longevity than you thought.

Alexis Pollak: Diabetes Evangelist: Pollak lives with Type 1 diabetes. She was diagnosed when she was 10. She has embraced the fact that she must test daily, count carbs, regulate insulin and try to fit life in there somewhere.

Perhaps it’s fortunate that Alexis has a natural gift for public speaking because she has been busy promoting Tour de Cure. This event specifically benefits the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and government programs designed to help find a cure for diabetes.

Her blog IrunOnInsulin is filled with her missives on life with diabetes. Consider some of these thoughts…

“Weight and diabetes – they go together like pumps and infusion sets. In fact, whenever you see a story in the news about diabetes, it’s almost a guarantee that weight will be mentioned too. Part of that rests on the fact that the vast majority of people with diabetes have Type 2, which is closely correlated with being overweight. To put it in perspective, about 24 million people have diabetes in the United States, and about 21 million of those are Type 2 cases. Since our country has a weight problem, it makes perfect sense that Type 2 diabetes has followed suit. One well-known endocrinologist even coined the term “diabesity” to describe this troubling trend.”

“Though people with Type 1 diabetes are often underweight at diagnosis because their bodies cannot process their food, as many as 60% of Type 1s end up overweight as they manage their disease. Taking artificial insulin, chasing low blood sugars with excess calories, and the fact that Type 1s are also missing the hormone amylin (which sends satiety signals to the brain) are all reasons that many Type 1 diabetics struggle with their weight.”

“It’s so funny with diabetes. As soon as you have a connection to it, its like you discover this whole world of people whose lives have been affected by diabetes somehow. You know, the fact that you are aware that it runs in your family is a huge step towards prevention. In fact, just knowing that gives you more information than most people who are at risk!”

“Having a chronic disease that demands 24/7 attention also demands having its own language, and many people with diabetes start to forget what “diabetes words” mean in their “real life” context – I’ll never forget the time my friend Christina said she was going home to cook a big pasta meal for her husband and mentioned she didn’t think she had enough basil – which I took to mean that she didn’t have enough basal insulin and I sat there wondering how the heck she was able to eat pasta on basal insulin alone – don’t most ‘betics have to bolus for that? I realized after a few minutes that she was referring to the ingredient, but can you blame a girl for thinking with her diabetes brain?”

While Alexis Pollak works to promote a diabetes event in San Diego she inspires others to live life better as a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic or figure out how they can become involved in finding a cure for the disease.

It’s refreshing to read some stories from one who has chosen to embrace her chronic disease and bring hope to others in the process.

I’ll conclude with something Alexis said in one of her blog entries, “I find diabetes connections every day that I never suspected I would have. The fact is, this disease is so pervasive these days, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have a diabetes story to share.” So she spends her days listening and sharing in hopes that some of her attention to the disease might either bring a cure – or understanding.

Brown Fat and Pancreatic Islets: Did you know that you have a type of fat in your body that works to burn calories instead of hording them? This substance is known as brown fat and it is exciting researchers looking for ways to reduce obesity and, in turn, the incidence of diabetes.

CNNHealth reports, “Brown adipose tissue (called brown fat) helps babies, young children, and other small mammals stay warm by burning calories when activated by low temperatures. Scientists have been skeptical that adults retain significant amounts of brown fat on their bodies. But the new research shows that many of us — perhaps even most — do.”

What may be most interesting to diabetic researchers is that this previously elusive brown fat (discovered in most patients below their collarbone or in their upper chest) seems to kick into calorie burning mode when the environmental air around the body dips. The activity observed through PET-scans show that winter is the most productive time for brown fat while summer is the least productive.

To put this in perspective consider a study conducted in Sweden by Dr. Sven Enerback, of the University of Goteborg, “Participants spent two hours in a room kept at 63° F to 66° F. During the scan, they submerged one foot in ice water, alternating five minutes in the water and five minutes out. The cold conditions boosted the amount of glucose the study participants’ brown fat consumed by a factor of 15.”

The total of bonus calories burned by brown fat on a daily basis was around 500 in optimum conditions. In order to benefit you would physically need to be colder. Some researchers argue it may be more beneficial to simply follow a healthier diet and exercise a bit more.

In other news, Forbes.com reports that, “Pancreatic islets, which are hormone-producing cells, are becoming more prominent in diabetes research and could play a major role in future treatments.” These findings were derived from an American Medical Association (AMA) report.

The AMA suggests, “Perhaps the most prominent clinical application of this research is currently in the form of cell replacement therapy. With the exception of one report in a type 2 diabetes cohort, islet transplantation has been used exclusively for a subset of individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus and was shown, at least temporarily, to improve glucose control and, in a few cases, to lead to insulin independence.”

This is good news for patients who are currently tied to insulin therapy. If control can be achieved without the need for insulin then Type 1 diabetics could potentially see greater stability in their diabetes management and may not need to regulate by eating more food and gaining additional weight just to manage their condition.

The authors of the AMA report indicate, “The importance of human pancreatic islets, clinically or for basic science research, is substantiated by the number and quality of studies being performed that rely on these preparations. Data available through the ICR as of August 2008 indicate that a total of 151 national and international scientists received human islets for use.” This means scientific labs are banking pancreatic islets for research and therapy purposes.

The American Diabetes Association describes the process this way, “In pancreatic islet transplantation, cells are taken from a donor pancreas and transferred into another person. Once implanted, the new islets begin to make and release insulin.”

Brown fat and pancreatic islet transplantation provides two more potential targets in finding treatment options for diabetic patients.

Diabetes Management May Come in Steps: Jean Pillat was 70 years old when he learned he had Type 2 diabetes. He survived cancer and was living with the effects of arthritis, but the diabetes diagnosis was different.

According to AmericaOnTheMove.org Jean took the diagnosis as a wakeup call, “He began eating healthy meals. He carefully monitored his blood sugar, which enabled him to learn how his body responds to certain foods. Jean also modified his physical activity routines. Initially, he took up swimming. But when a back injury prevented him from continuing, he started walking.”

At the time of diagnosis Jean weighed 325 pounds. The weight combined with arthritis caused Jean to say, “My main challenge when I left the house was to find a handicap parking space.”

AmericaOnTheMove.org indicates, “The lifestyle changes Jean has adopted have helped him lose around 60 pounds. And now only his grandchildren use the scooter when they’re playing games in the backyard. For a while he tried to sell it, but having the scooter is another source of motivation — just seeing it reminds Jean that he doesn’t want to use it again.”

Jean has found that steady and consistent walking has opened up a new world for him. He admits there are days he’d rather not walk, but in the end he affirms, “If I don’t walk, it feels like I’m cheating myself.”

Jean understands there is an awareness that must be present in order for control of any chronic disease to be effective. He told AmericaOnTheMove.org, “You don’t get rid of them, you control them,” when talking about high blood pressure, arthritis and diabetes.

For the Type 2 diabetic control begins with education. Blood glucose must be monitored to correctly identify what immediate alterations need to be made. A diet needs to be put in place with an understanding of what certain foods can do to blood glucose levels.

Jean also understands the value of motivation and exercise. America On The Move is an organization dedicated to encouraging individuals to use a pedometer to monitor their every step. Jean works to increase his total step count and uses the digital display to motivate him to work a little harder to reach established goals.

The site features cyber trails that participants can use to push themselves. They may only be able to walk 3,000-5,000 steps a day, or they might be able to walk more than 14,000. The site features a trail that they should be able to complete in around 40 days with a log in location to track daily step totals.

Members can ask for regular emails that provide additional motivational tools. They can also request a ‘buddy’ that can contact them by email to encourage them and help them remain accountable to their walking goals.

The site promotes small, but meaningful change because they realize most individuals feel ill equipped to manage significant and far-reaching change immediately. The site offers tips on ways to burn an extra 100 calories per day along with ways to decrease the total amount of food eaten each day. In many instances the extra 100 calories burned may require as little as 2,000 extra steps walked per day, which could be accomplished by taking your pet out for a short walk after dinner.

Jean Pillat has learned a lot about diabetes and now insists on being the cook in his home. He knows what is best for him and concludes, “If I go a little overboard, I’m only shooting myself in the foot… I can’t blame my wife!”

Who’s Managing Their Diabetes in This Economy: When an economic crisis hits, like the one currently at play on the world’s stage, citizens respond with decreased spending and a tightening of the economic belt. The problem comes when the very things we chose to reduce spending on are those things that improve our quality of life.

News accounts discuss the potential of recession weight gain. This happens when stress and a desire for less expensive food combine to add weight to our bodies.

The way this works is that foods with refined flour and sugar are often less expensive and more readily available. Fast food restaurants are generally less expensive and equally filling as more expensive restaurants. The end result is buying less healthy food options because they are cheap while losing the battle of our own personal bulge.

As telling as this is there are other forces at work. Because the cost of diabetic care is expensive there are some diabetics who are reducing the cost of their care by foregoing blood glucose testing and holding back or even eliminating medications used to treat diabetes.

The Miami Health Examiner reports, “The typical monthly bill for someone with diabetes runs $350 to $900 for those without insurance, and the cost is rising as newer, more expensive medicines hit the market. Also, emergency care and a short hospitalization can easily top $10,000, and long-term complications cost even more.”

The American Diabetes Association indicates a trend in employers placing pre-existing conditions on new workers who are diabetic in an effort to reduce company spending. In turn individuals are asking their primary healthcare provider for free samples or inquiring about help from pharmaceutical companies to help cover the cost of medication. Other patients are simply reducing the amount of medication they take.

For some patients regularly scheduled appointments are being cancelled due to lack of available funds. All of this is happening at a time when diabetes related emergencies are on the rise in American hospitals.

PhillyBurbs.com reports, “Federal law allows health plans to look back six months for a medical condition that was present before the start of coverage in a group health plan, if the person was without “credible” coverage 63 days or longer, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Insurers say employers also can request look-back reviews with new plans and employees.”

Because diabetes is tied to multiple chronic conditions such as heart disease, retinopathy and even stroke there is a rising alarm in health care practitioners who are seeing patients view their managed care as expendable in tough economic times. The end result may likely be a greater incidence of diabetes and a greater incidence of peripheral diseases that developed during a time when there was little the patient could do to pay for their own health care needs.

Add to this the cohabitation of depression with diabetes and you can also see that many diabetics may forego regular physical activity in favor of entertaining the stress the may feel at not being able to manage their disease effectively.

It is possible we will only see the full effects of this delicate house of cards after the economic crisis is over.

It is troubling to see cost saving measures go from turning out lights when you leave a room to leaving yourself unprotected from the complications of diabetes.

If you haven’t already done so you might speak with your doctor about what options may be available to keep your health managed by finding ways to reduce the overall costs.

A Diabetic Action Plan: While the medical profession argues about whether anyone can truly be considered cured of diabetes patients are often discovering that the best plan of action involves recruiting others.

Patients throughout America are looking at ways to manage their diabetes in a very proactive and informed way. If you are going to be successful in the control of your diabetes you will need to put together a group of individuals willing to help. This may include accountability partners, nutritionists, doctors, support groups and dieticians.

Sometimes the nutritionist and dietitian will be the same individual, but you will need to rely on them to help you come up with a meal and dietary plan that takes into account your needs and as many ‘wants’ as possible. You should have some control over what you eat, but a nutritionist can help you learn why certain foods are better choices.

If you take this first concept into your own hands you will likely find yourself failing and frustrated. Self-sufficiency is great for John Wayne movies, but it’s a horrible idea for anyone living with diabetes. The support you can find in others will be an incredible boost to your willpower and resolve.

You will likely be asked to lose weight, exercise more and eat better meals. You stand a much better chance of success if you have someone else willing to walk with you through the difficult changes diabetes can bring to your life.

Food labels are meant to be read – actively. A diabetic will need to reduce overall carbohydrates in their diet. You need to read labels to formulate a daily battle plan. Sugar is a refined carbohydrate, but it is not the only one. Eliminating sugar without counting carbs will not allow you to reach your self-managed diabetic goals.

Supplements are great, but look for more. Dieticians always prefer fresh whole foods to supplements and other pre assembled food options. When it comes to vegetables choose lots of dark rich colors. Vegetables that are lighter in color often have fewer beneficial nutrients to offer. The darker the better – the less refined the better.

Pay attention to how much you are eating. Protein is something we all need, but diabetics may need less than they think. A good rule of thumb is a portion size about the size of your palm. This is roughly 3-4 ounces of meat or fish. You should find the leanest cuts possible and then trim off any fat you may encounter. Lean fish should be considered a solid option at least twice a week.

Recent reports indicate intense exercise for short periods of time can help you remove excess blood sugar from your system. Three to four days a week you should consider 4-8 separate bursts (30 seconds per burst) of physical activity on an exercise bike, elliptical or treadmill. You can improve cardiovascular health and lose weight by implementing longer, but less strenuous physical activity of at least 30 minutes a day.

Conditions of excess weight do not generally happen overnight so you should not expect immediate results even if it seems difficult at times turn the tide. You will need to cheer over small victories and invite your support team to cheer with you.

In the end maybe it doesn’t matter so much whether doctors believe diabetes can be reversed. What matters is that you stop the disease in its tracks and demonstrate by your lifestyle choices that you do not want it to advance any further.

Could Losing Your Job Trigger Diabetes: Many Americans are becoming all too familiar with the term, “Pink Slip.”  Jobless rates are higher than they’ve been in a very long time, and once stable employment is now anything but.

There have been wise men and women throughout the years that say stress will show up physically. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but if you worry long enough there will be physical issues that reveal themselves.

Stress can make itself known in things like the loss of a loved one, the physical relocation of a family or even the knowledge that you or a loved one has a precarious medical situation. Experts have said that some stress may not be a bad thing, but long-term accumulated or harsh and sudden stress can break down defenses and usher in life altering medical side effects due to stress.

The Harvard School of Public Health recently conducted a study on the impact of job loss and the onset of medical difficulties including diabetes. Interestingly this study provides two interesting, yet opposite findings. The first is that individuals with medical difficulties might be the first to be ‘let go’ in an economic crisis. On the other hand an individual who may appear in good health can develop profound medical issues following a release from their job.

An MSNBC report indicates, “Those who lost their job — white or blue collar — through no fault of their own (for example, if their employer closed its doors) the odds of reporting fair or poor health increased by 54 percent. Among respondents with no pre-existing health conditions, it increased the odds of a new health condition by 83 percent.”

The stress of losing a job can be compounded by trying to find a new job. This can be further aggravated by having to learn a new job. This may be most traumatic for those who lost their job unexpectedly as opposed to those who were actively seeking a job change for personal reasons.

The MSNBC report indicates the following health concerns among those losing jobs in the current economic climate.

• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Emotional/psychiatric problems

Currently this leaves 5.7 million jobless Americans at risk for future health issues like the ones listed above. This may be the long-term cost of a recession. We may feel some of the effects now, but there will continue to be a payment required long into the future.

Working to reduce stress is always important, but even more so during troubled times.

Adding to the trouble is the fact that normally healthy individuals will often deviate from their normal food intake and exercise patterns. The reason for the change may be due to the need for a second job, lack of available funds to purchase the food that might be a better choice for their overall health, and a shifting of interest from looking at life in a ‘big picture’ kind of way to just trying to get through another day.

The consequences for this shift may prove important in rising diabetes diagnoses. As depression becomes more common there may be an even greater instance of diabetes in the United States and around the world.

If possible you should work to reduce your stress as much as possible and work with your health care provider to establish a plan to keep you in the greatest feasible health during and after this recession.

It may seem easier to simply let your health go, but there are always consequences for every action. When it comes to diabetes it is best to place an emphasis on avoidance whenever possible.

Pre-diagnosed Diabetes: Approach to Better Options: If you accidentally slip with a knife and cut your finger deeply then the use of a Band-Aid might not be enough to fix the damage. Stomach cancer can’t be treated with antacids. Vision problems can’t be treated by simply eating more carrots. You may see the logic in these statements, but wonder what this might have to do with diabetes.

In America and around the world people are being treated for symptoms of diabetes without an actual diagnosis of diabetes. These patients will visit with their health care practitioner for a variety of issues such as kidney problems, heart issues, high blood pressure and some neurological disorders. While these issues may be addressed it is possible a symptom is being treated while the disease is ignored. This is where the topic of diabetes may be treated with the proverbial Band-Aid.

In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, just recently released through the journal Population Health Management 6.3 million Americans are being treated for diabetic symptoms without a proper diagnosis.

What this means in real terms is that these individuals may not even be aware they need to work at controlling their blood glucose. These patients will not be testing their blood sugar and will likely be eating the same foods they’ve always eaten.

This also means that $18 billion is needed every year to pay for costs related to the care of patience who probably should be diagnosed with diabetes. It is estimated that undiagnosed diabetes accounts for 25% of all diabetic cases.

Researchers claim that if this money were added to the total financial payment for diabetes care it would bring the tally to nearly $200 billion annually.

WebMD cites other findings discovered by researchers.

• The economic cost of undiagnosed diabetes is $2,864 per person.
• Incremental costs of undiagnosed diabetes begin at least eight years before diagnosis.
• About 4%-6% of men 35 to 64 have undiagnosed diabetes.
• About 14% of men 65 to 69 have undiagnosed diabetes.

The study’s authors write, “To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the health care use patterns and economic costs for patients with [undiagnosed diabetes], although present research does show an increase in medical costs in the years leading up to diagnosis.”

WebMD indicated, “Scientists used data from more than 3 million people included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate costs and numbers of people in the U.S. with undiagnosed diabetes, tabulating bills for treatment of various symptoms of the disease.”

The study seems to suggest that if these individuals who may be in the earliest stages of the disease could be identified early enough it might be possible to minimize costs while maximizing their individual managed care simply by giving them tools needed to treat the disease of diabetes instead of the symptoms.

Factually the needed care for treating a symptom of diabetes will be very different from treating the disease. The first may result in a continued need for treatment of a symptom while the second provides a framework for long-term management of a disease.

While the diagnosis of diabetes is missing in many cases it is still probable that the cost for taking care of undiagnosed diabetes will still be significantly higher than for someone who is not diabetic.

The primary symptom treated, but not always linked to diabetes, is heart disease.