Diabetes Life Expectancy
Tweet After diabetes diagnosis, many type 1 and type 2 diabetics worry about their life expectancy. Death is never a pleasant subject but it's human nature to want to know 'how long can I expect to live'. There is no hard and fast answer to the question of ‘how long can I expect to live’ as a number of factors influence one’s life expectancy. How soon diabetes was diagnosed, the progress of diabetic complications and whether one has other existing conditions will all contribute to one’s life expectancy - regardless of whether the person in question has type 1 or type 2 diabetes. How long can people with diabetes expect to live? Diabetes UK estimates in its report, Diabetes in the UK 2010: Key Statistics on Diabetes[5], that the life expectancy of someone with type 2 diabetes is likely to be reduced, as a result of the condition, by up to 10 years. People with type 1 diabetes have traditionally lived shorter lives, with life expectancy having been quoted as being reduced by over 20 years. However, improvement in diabetes care in recent decades indicates that people with type 1 diabetes are now living significantly longer. Results of a 30 year study by the University of Pittsburgh, published in 2012, noted that people with type 1 diabetes born after 1965 had a life expectancy of 69 years.[76] How does diabetic life expectancy compare with people in general? The Office for National Statistics estimates life expectancy amongst new births to be: 77 years for males 81 years for females. Amongst those who are currently 65 years old, the average man can expect to live until 83 years old and the average woman to live until 85 years old. What causes a shorter life expectancy in diabetics? Higher blood sugars over a period of time allow diabetic complications to set in, su Continue reading >>
Diabetes Cuts Years Off Life Span Of Americans
The study also shows that older adults with diabetes have a lower life expectancy at every age compared to people who do not have the disease. For example, researchers say, the difference at age 60 is 5.4 years; it’s one year by 90. The findings come from a new report commissioned by the National Academy on an Aging Society and was supported by Sanofi-aventis U.S., a pharmaceutical company. It was based on data provided by the Health and Retirement Study, a survey of more than 20,000 Americans over age 50 done every two years by the University of Michigan. “Given the rise in diabetes among boomers and seniors, these findings are alarming,” Greg O’Neill, PhD, director of the National Academy on an Aging Society, says in a news release. “They paint a stark picture of the impact of diabetes and its complications on healthy aging.” The study shows a significant increase over the past decade in the percentage of adults over age 50 with diabetes, from 11% of non-Hispanic whites in 1998 to 18% in 2008, coinciding with an alarming obesity epidemic affecting most population groups. The increase among adult non-Hispanic blacks has been even more alarming, from 22% to 32% in the past 10 years, study researchers say. Compared to older adults without diabetes, patients with the disease are less likely to be employed and more likely to have other health problems, such as heart disease, depression, and disabilities that get in the way of normal life activities, the researchers say. Scott M. Lynch, PhD, of Princeton University’s Office of Population Research, analyzed data on more than 20,000 adults over the age of 50. The study, described as a “profile,” was written by Nancy Maddox, MPH, a co-founder of Maren Enterprises, a consulting firm specializing in technical a Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Statistics: Facts And Trends
Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a disease that causes high blood sugar. It occurs when there is a problem with insulin. Insulin is a hormone that takes sugar from foods and moves it to the body's cells. If the body does not make enough insulin or does not use insulin well, the sugar from food stays in the blood and causes high blood sugar. There are several different types of diabetes, but the most common is type 2. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Diabetes Report, 2014, 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes in the United States have type 2. Just 5 percent of people have type 1. Contents of this article: Key facts about diabetes in the U.S. Diabetes is at an all-time high in the U.S. The CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation states that 1 percent of the population, which is about a half of a million people, had diagnosed diabetes in 1958. Today, nearly 10 percent of the population have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). That's 29.1 million Americans, and more than a quarter of these people do not know they have it. The ADA report that the number of people who have diabetes increased by 382 percent from 1988 to 2014. The risk of developing diabetes increases with age. The CDC report that 4.1 percent of people age 20-44 have diabetes, but the number jumps to 25.9 percent for people over 65 years old. As obesity has become more prevalent over the past few decades, so too has the rate of type 2 diabetes. An article in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology states that 25.6 percent of Americans are obese, much higher than the 15.3 percent of obese people in 1995. In that same period, the incidence of diabetes increased by 90 percent. Although the link between obesity and diabetes is well Continue reading >>
Diabetes Information
Almost 30 million people in the United States have diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease, usually occurs in people who are 45 years of age or older. However, the rate of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is increasing. Common Diabetes Terms (American Diabetes Association) Diabetes Can Be Silent | Definition of Diabetes | Warning Signs of Diabetes | Type 1 Diabetes | Type 2 Diabetes | Gestational Diabetes | Complications of Diabetes Diabetes can go silently undetected for a long time without symptoms. Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of its potentially life-threatening complications, such as heart disease, blindness or nerve disease. Fortunately, diabetes can be managed with proper care. Diabetes is a chronic (life-long) condition that can have serious consequences. However, with careful attention to your blood sugar control, lifestyle modifications and medications, you can manage your diabetes and may avoid many of the problems associated with the disease. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) can help you make the transition of managing your disease easier. Back to top Definition of Diabetes Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes is a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1 Type 2 Gestational Diabetes Back to top Warning Signs of Diabetes Frequent urination Unusual thirst Extreme hunger Continue reading >>
Type 2 Myths And Misconceptions
While close to 10 percent of Americans have diabetes, there’s a lot of misinformation about the disease. This is especially the case for type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Here are nine myths about type 2 diabetes — and the facts that debunk them. 1. Diabetes isn’t a serious disease. Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease. In fact, two out of three people with diabetes will die from cardiovascular-related episodes, such as a heart attack or stroke. However, diabetes can be controlled with proper medications and lifestyle changes. 2. If you’re overweight, you’ll automatically get type 2 diabetes. Being overweight or obese is a serious risk factor, but there are other factors that put you at an increased risk. Having a family history of diabetes, having high blood pressure, or being sedentary are just some of these other factors. 3. Exercising when you have diabetes only increases your chances of experiencing low blood sugar. Don’t think that just because you have diabetes you can skip out on your workout! Exercise is crucial to controlling diabetes. If you’re on insulin, or a medication that increases insulin production in the body, you have to balance exercise with your medication and diet. Talk to your doctor about creating an exercise program that’s right for you and your body. 4. Insulin will harm you. Insulin is a lifesaver, but it’s also difficult to manage for some people. New and improved insulin allows for much tighter blood sugar control with lower risk of low or high blood sugar. Testing your blood sugar levels, however, is the only way to know how your treatment plan is working for you. 5. Having diabetes means your body isn’t producing enough insulin. People with type 2 diabetes typically have enough insulin when they’re Continue reading >>
What Is Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells. Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycaemia). Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues. Continue reading >>
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How Do People Die From Diabetes?
Q. How do people die from diabetes? A. People who have diabetes cannot regulate their blood sugar levels and if the disease isn’t tightly controlled, blood sugar can spike to abnormally high levels, a condition called hyperglycemia, or dip below normal, a condition called hypoglycemia. Both conditions are potentially life-threatening and can lead to coma and death if not promptly treated. But complications resulting from the disease are a more common cause of death. Heart disease strikes people with diabetes at significantly higher rates than people without diabetes, “and we don’t fully know why,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief medical officer at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. People with diabetes develop heart disease at younger ages and are nearly twice as likely to die of heart attack or stroke as people who do not have diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes, which is the more common form of the disease, are more likely to have elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity, Dr. Gabbay said, all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. “The good news,” he said, “is that a lot of treatments, like those for lowering cholesterol, are even more effective at lowering risk in people with diabetes than in people without.” Some new classes of diabetes medications used for Type 2 diabetes have also been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk, he said. People with Type 1 diabetes are also at increased risk for heart disease, though the reasons are less clear. Both types of diabetes can also lead to other long-term complications, like kidney disease, that may result in premature death. Problems like vision loss, nerve damage and infections that may lead to amputations can increase the likelihood of injuries and accidents. Good disease management starting ea Continue reading >>
My Sister Died Because She Didn't Take Diabetes Seriously
When Yolanda Acuna Ocana was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, her family was almost relieved. She was 14 and had been suffering from inexplicable weight loss, constant thirst and tiredness, and they were grateful for a diagnosis. Now — sadly — they feel very differently about diabetes. Last April, aged just 39, Yolanda died as a result of the disease, leaving behind a loving husband and devoted family. ‘No one expects diabetes to kill someone so young in this day and age,’ says Yolanda’s sister, Nicky Dixon, 38, a company director from Surbiton, Surrey. People often think diabetes, type 1 or type 2, is not a serious condition, says Dr Jeremy Allgrove, a paediatric endocrinologist at Barts and the London NHS Trust. ‘But if you don’t look after yourself, it’s a killer.’ The figures are stark: type 1 diabetes reduces life expectancy on average by 20 years. The condition is caused by the body attacking the cells of the pancreas responsible for making insulin. Insulin helps the body break down glucose from food and turn it into energy; without it, blood sugar levels become dangerously high, causing damage to blood vessels. Around 300,000 Britons have the condition. It can run in families, but experts believe the condition is usually triggered, possibly by some sort of virus. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is characterised by insulin dependence — once diagnosed, a patient must inject themselves daily for the rest of their life. The problem is that many people don’t take their insulin as they should, with potentially fatal consequences. Yolanda was supposed to inject herself seven times a day, but when she left home for university at 18, she reduced her intake because the jabs were causing her to put on weight. This growing trend has even been given a name Continue reading >>
Is Diabetes Becoming The Biggest Epidemic Of The Twenty-first Century?
Diabetes is a major public health problem that is approaching epidemic proportions globally. Worldwide, the prevalence of chronic, noncommunicable diseases is increasing at an alarming rate. About 18 million people die every year from cardiovascular disease, for which diabetes and hypertension are major predisposing factors. Today, more than 1.7 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and 312 million of them are obese. In addition, at least 155 million children worldwide are overweight or obese. A diabetes epidemic is underway. According to an estimate of International Diabetes Federation comparative prevalence of Diabetes during 2007 is 8.0 % and likely to increase to 7.3% by 2025. Number of people with diabetes is 246 million (with 46% of all those affected in the 40–59 age group) and likely to increase to 380 m by 2025. The comparative prevalence of IGT is 7.5% in 2007 and likely to go up to 6.0 by 2025. The number of people with IGT is 308 million in 2007 and likely to be 418 m by 2025. (1) Almost 80% of the total adult diabetics are in developing countries. The regions with the highest rates are the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, where 9.2 % of the adult population is affected, and North America (8.4%). The highest numbers, however, are found in the Western Pacific, where some 67 million people have Diabetes, followed by Europe with 53 million. India leads the global top ten in terms of the highest number of people with diabetes with a current figure of 40.9 million, followed by China with 39.8 million. Behind them come USA; Russia; Germany; Japan; Pakistan; Brazil; Mexico and Egypt. Two major concerns are that much of this increase in Diabetes will occur in developing countries and that there is a growing incidence of Type 2 Diabetes at a younger age in Continue reading >>
How Do People Die From Diabetes?
Diabetes is amongst the foremost leading cause of deaths in most of the countries. Today, the disease is widespread like an epidemic and the several complications which diabetes leads to often make people wonder #Can you Die from Diabetes?”. Well, although the answer to the above question cannot be a straight “Yes”, there is no denying of the fact that diabetes can, in fact, turn out to be a deadly disease. As per a report circulated by Diabetes UK, the life expectancy of a type 1 diabetes patient can be reduced by 20 years, while the same can be reduced by 10 in the case of a type 1 diabetes patient. This, of course, can be controlled by adopting a healthy lifestyle and controlling your blood sugar levels. Some of the ways in which you can die from diabetes include the following: High Blood Glucose Levels: The leading cause of death in diabetic patients is the inability to keep the blood glucose levels under control. Lipid Disorders: With diabetes comes a host of various other complications such as heart diseases, kidney disorders, amongst others. The leading cause of these complications is the disorder of the lipids in a diabetic patient. Diabetes Ketoacidosis: The high sugar level in the blood which is a characteristic of diabetes often leads to the high amount of ketone cells in the body. These ketones could be extremely deadly, causing deaths in patients. Complications: Diabetes is known to cause several complications in patients which adversely affect the functioning of the heart, kidney, eyes, and even nerves of different body parts. Any of these complications can become serious and lead to the death of the patient. Hence, can you die from diabetes? Well, yes you can. However, with proper care, regular exercise, following a proper diet, and taking timely me Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes Linked To Lower Life Expectancy
HealthDay Reporter today lose more than a decade of life to the chronic disease, despite improved treatment of both diabetes and its complications, a new Scottish study reports. Men with type 1 diabetes lose about 11 years of life expectancy compared to men without the disease. And, women with type 1 diabetes have their lives cut short by about 13 years, according to a report published in the Jan. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings "provide a more up-to-date quantification of how much type 1 diabetes cuts your life span now, in our contemporary era," said senior author Dr. Helen Colhoun, a clinical professor in the diabetes epidemiology unit of the University of Dundee School of Medicine in Scotland. Diabetes' impact on heart health appeared to be the largest single cause of lost years, according to the study. But, the researchers also found that type 1 diabetics younger than 50 are dying in large numbers from conditions caused by issues in management of the disease -- diabetic coma caused by critically low blood sugar, and ketoacidosis caused by a lack of insulin in the body. "These conditions really reflect the day-to-day challenge that people with type 1 diabetes continue to face, how to get the right amount of insulin delivered at the right time to deal with your blood sugar levels," Colhoun said. A second study, also in JAMA, suggested that some of these early deaths might be avoided with intensive blood sugar management. In that paper, researchers reduced patients' overall risk of premature death by about a third, compared with diabetics receiving standard care, by conducting multiple blood glucose tests throughout the day and constantly adjusting insulin levels to hit very specific blood sugar levels. "Across the board, indiv Continue reading >>
Why Do People With Diabetes Die Too Soon?
More questions than answers The excess mortality among people with diabetes and the role of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in shortening their lives have been recognized for decades (1–3). Recent studies suggest that all-cause mortality (4) and CVD incidence among people with diabetes (5) are declining; however, the proportion of CVD attributable to diabetes has increased over the past 50 years, largely due to the increase in diabetes prevalence (6). Furthermore, mortality follow-up of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I, II, and III participants may suggest that despite some progress in reducing mortality in men with diabetes, women are still at a greatly increased risk (7). The vital question for an estimated 200 million people with diabetes worldwide today (8) is what to do to improve life expectancy and quality. A study from Finland in this issue of Diabetes Care by Juutilainen et al. (9) attempts to shed some light on modifiable determinants of survival among patients diagnosed with diabetes after age 30 years. In a cohort of 173 type 1 and 834 type 2 diabetic patients followed for 18 years, the total mortality risk was increased threefold and CVD mortality was increased fivefold compared with the general population, confirming previous studies. The comparisons were adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, area of residence, BMI, blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, proteinuria, creatinine clearance, smoking, and alcohol intake measured at baseline. Consistent with many previous reports, the increase in CVD mortality risk was much more dramatic in diabetic women (11- to 13-fold) than in diabetic men (3- to 4-fold) compared with the general population. The increase in total mortality risk was less pronounced: ∼4.5-fold in wome Continue reading >>
5 Common Type 1 Diabetes Complications
3 0 Type 1 diabetes carries with it a much higher risk of developing some associated serious health problems. While in the past, getting diabetes-related health complications was almost a certainty, with modern blood glucose monitoring, control, and treatment, the risks have decreased significantly. Even a few decades ago, life expectancy for people with diabetes was regularly considered to be 10 years shorter than for people without the disorder. In 2012, however, a large-scale study found that life-expectancy was now only about 6 years less than average. For comparison, a lifetime of smoking will reduce life expectancy by 10 years. So what are the diabetes complications that you need to be looking out for? Largely, they fall into either cardiovascular or neuropathic categories. To make diabetes complications even more complicated, they tend to affect people of different sexes and different ethnicities differently. One more wild card is that recent studies have found that some people with Type 1 diabetes actually never develop most of the complications associated with diabetes. The good news is that with proper blood glucose control and a healthy lifestyle, the risks for developing Type 1 diabetes complications are drastically reduced. Some studies have actually found that careful monitoring and management can reduce the chances of developing any of these by as much as 50%. Still, everyone with Type 1 diabetes should keep a careful eye out for the five most common diabetes complications. Diabetic Ketoacidosis Diabetic Ketoacidosis (or DKA), is a condition caused by severe hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) which causes rapid fat breakdown in the body. As the fat breaks down, they release fatty acids which are then converted into chemicals called ketones, which are highly Continue reading >>
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Diabetes, Heart Disease, And Stroke
Having diabetes means that you are more likely to develop heart disease and have a greater chance of a heart attack or a stroke. People with diabetes are also more likely to have certain conditions, or risk factors, that increase the chances of having heart disease or stroke, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If you have diabetes, you can protect your heart and health by managing your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol. If you smoke, get help to stop. What is the link between diabetes, heart disease, and stroke? Over time, high blood glucose from diabetes can damage your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart and blood vessels. The longer you have diabetes, the higher the chances that you will develop heart disease.1 People with diabetes tend to develop heart disease at a younger age than people without diabetes. In adults with diabetes, the most common causes of death are heart disease and stroke. Adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke as people without diabetes.2 The good news is that the steps you take to manage your diabetes also help to lower your chances of having heart disease or stroke. What else increases my chances of heart disease or stroke if I have diabetes? If you have diabetes, other factors add to your chances of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Smoking Smoking raises your risk of developing heart disease. If you have diabetes, it is important to stop smoking because both smoking and diabetes narrow blood vessels. Smoking also increases your chances of developing other long-term problems such as lung disease. Smoking also can damage the blood vessels in your legs and increase the risk of lower leg infections, ulcers, a Continue reading >>
Diabetes: What's True And False?
en espaolLa diabetes: Qu es cierto y qu es falso? If you're like most people with diabetes, you'll get all kinds of advice about it from friends and family or online. Some of this information is wrong. Here's the truth about some of the common things you might hear. Does eating too much sugar cause diabetes? No. Type 1 diabetes happens when cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed. This happens because something goes wrong with the body's immune system . It has nothing to do with how much sugar a person eats. Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. But there is one way that sugar can influence whether a person gets type 2 diabetes. Consuming too much sugar (or sugary foods and drinks) can make people put on weight. Gaining too much weight leads to type 2 diabetes in some people. Of course, eating too much sugar isn't the only cause of weight gain. Weight gain from eating too much of any food can make a person's chance of getting diabetes greater. Yes! You can have your cake and eat it too, just not the whole cake! Like everyone, people with diabetes should put the brakes on eating too many sweets. But you can still enjoy them sometimes. People with type 1 diabetes don't grow out of it. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin and won't make it again. People with type 1 diabetes will always need to take insulin, at least until scientists find a cure. People with type 2 diabetes will always have a tendency to get high blood sugar levels. But if they take steps to live a healthier life, it can sometimes lower their blood sugar. If people eat healthy foods and exercise enough to get their blood sugar levels back on track, doctors might say they can stop taking insulin or other medicines. Can you catch diabetes from a person who has it? No. Diabetes is not Continue reading >>
