WASHINGTON: The American Diabetes Association released new research estimating the total costs of diagnosed diabetes have risen to $245 billion in 2012 as 5 million more people living with diabetes.
"I know of no other disease that's increasing at about 8% per year," said Anderson, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. "That to me isn't surprising, it's troubling."
What is surprising, Anderson said, is that the increased price isn't due to rising health care costs. It's due instead to the "sheer number" of Americans who have diabetes.
An estimated 22.3 million people were living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in 2012, according to the new report, up from 17.5 million in 2007.
The growing population is due to several factors. Diabetes prevalence increases with age, so the aging baby boomer population is attributing to rising costs. The obesity epidemic also plays a role. Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diabetes can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, kidney failure and blindness. If it's not kept under control, diabetes also can cause infections that may lead to leg or foot amputations.
Approximately 246,000 deaths were attributed to diabetes in 2012, according to the American Diabetes Association's report. (QNA)
