Canadian Diabetes Strategies Under Fire As Diabetes Rates Continue To Rise

Canadian diabetes strategies under fire as diabetes rates continue to rise

In the past six months, the Auditor Generals of both Canada and Ontario have turned their attention to problems with strategies designed to tackle one of Canada’s biggest health threats—the epidemic of diabetes.
The government watchdogs have scrutinized the value that Canadians have received from the hundreds of millions of dollars expended on the Canadian Diabetes Strategy and the Ontario Diabetes Strategy.
As diabetes rates in Canada continue on a steady and alarming uphill climb, the auditors reports conclude that both strategies have come up seriously wanting.
The prevalence of diabetes among Canadians increased by 70% in one decade (1999 to 2009), with an estimated 2.4-million Canadians (6.8% of the population) now suffering from the chronic, and often preventable, condition, according to the federal report, which was released at the end of last month.
In Ontario alone, it’s estimated that the number of people with diabetes will reach 1.9-million by 2020, up from the 1.2-million in 2010 and 546,000 in 2000, 1.2-million people, according to the December 2012 report from the Auditor General of Ontario.
How important is it to have a comprehensive strategy?
The burden of illness linked with diabetes is alarming
The burden of illness associated with diabetes is alarming. In Ontario, for example, people with diabetes account for 69% of limb amputations, 53% of kidney dialysis, 39% of heart attacks and 35% of strokes, according to the Ontario report.
On average, medical expenses for diabetics are two times that of the rest of the population, the report notes, and mortal Continue reading

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Can Diabetes Bankrupt a Country?

Diabetes is not only expensive for those who have the disease, but it is also expensive for the government and countries that those people live in.
Currently, the worldwide cost of diabetes is 825 billion dollars per year. Unfortunately, that cost is only going to increase because diabetes is one of the fastest growing health problems in the world.
To put it in numbers, in the 1970’s, diabetes cost 1 billion dollars per year. The number increased to 116 billion in 2007, and is now more than 7 times that. It is estimated that by 2035, 600 million people will have diabetes and 90% of those patients will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which is a preventable disease.
Why are the costs so high?
There are several complications related to diabetes that require treatment. Unfortunately, the treatments for those complications are not cheap.
Complications include:
Kidney disease, which increases the cost of diabetes by 65% initially, and up to 195% when it gets worse. End stage renal disease increases costs by 771%.
Heart disease or stroke, which increases the cost by 360%.
High blood pressure, which increases the cost by 50% once you are on medications or have seen a cardiologist.
Neuropathy
Non-healing wounds or amputations
Vision problems or even blindness
85% of the world’s diabetes budget is spent on complications, which is absurd.
That leaves little money for prevention or treatment before complications arise. With limited financial resources to help before major problems occur, complications caused by poorly treated diabetes are only going to increase in number and sev Continue reading

Antidepressant Medication as a Risk Factor for Type 2 Diabetes and Impaired Glucose Regulation

OBJECTIVE Antidepressant use has risen sharply over recent years. Recent concerns that antidepressants may adversely affect glucose metabolism require investigation. Our aim was to assess the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with antidepressants through a systematic review.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data sources were MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, meeting abstracts of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, American Diabetes Association, and Diabetes UK, Current Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, U.K. Clinical Research Network, scrutiny of bibliographies of retrieved articles, and contact with relevant experts. Relevant studies of antidepressant effects were included. Key outcomes were diabetes incidence and change in blood glucose (fasting and random).
RESULTS Three systemic reviews and 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Research designs included 1 case series and 21 observational studies comprising 4 cross-sectional, 5 case-control, and 12 cohort studies. There was evidence that antidepressant use is associated with type 2 diabetes. Causality is not established, but rather, the picture is confused, with some antidepressants linked to worsening glucose control, particularly with higher doses and longer duration, others linked with improved control, and yet more with mixed results. The more recent, larger studies, however, suggest a modest effect. Study quality was variable.
CONCLUSIONS Although evidence exists that antidepressant use may be an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes, long-term prospective studie Continue reading

Antidepressants Increase Risk of Diabetes, Heart Attack, and Dementia

Extensive studies show that antidepressant medications increase the risk of diabetes. Other concerns like heart disease and dementia are also suspect. America is in a sea of prescription drug use and many individuals struggle with adverse effects. Oftentimes, the medications are prescribed with no cessation of use in sight. Long-term adverse effects may not be known, understood, or perhaps not even revealed by drug companies, yet the consumer faces a number of challenges that might be dismissed as aging, stress, or just bad luck. Information is the key to making informed choices. If you are on antidepressant medication, be aware!
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Antidepressants and New Onset Diabetes: A Disconcerting Trend
A 2012 study evaluated three groups of adult participants (total number of participants 168,435) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at the baseline. Participants were followed for several years. After reviewing and adjusting for diabetes risk factors, high cholesterol, hypertension, and BMI/body mass index, it was found that the participants who used antidepressant medications had an increased risk of new onset diabetes compared to those who did not use antidepressant meds. Both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/SSRI’s (e.g. Prozac, Zoloft, etc) and tricyclic antidepressants were associated with the elevated risk of new onset diabetes.
Another 2012 study evaluated 44,715 adults. Researchers evaluated antidepressants (SSRI, SNRI, tricyclic antidepressants,) and benzodiazepines. During the eight-year study, 6.6 percent or 2, Continue reading

Diabetes And Depression - No One Should Ever Have To Filter Their Feelings

No one can ever prepare you for the day when you hear you're being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
You never think it will ever actually happen to you; that one day you'll just get ill and you'll never ever get better or cured.
That every day you'll be required to give insulin injections knowing full well that you need them to keep you alive but those same injections could also potentially kill you.
I mean, if someone told you that now, that you're a Type 1 Diabetic, how would you feel?
You're probably thinking 'Hey, it's no big deal!' and you'll just carry on your life as normal, right? But, have you ever thought about the mental aspect of it all? How would you feel then?
For me personally, when I got the news it was as if my whole world had been turned upside down. Especially because I had been diagnosed at the age of 30.
My whole life up until that point had been 'diabetes free' and then suddenly I was being told about injections, insulin, hypos, hypers, ratios, carb counting, adjusting, doses, corrections, bolus, basal etc. The list was endless and it was just so much to take in. Suddenly the realisation that my life was changing forever was pretty petrifying.
It really effected my mental health too and to be honest, when I got diagnosed, that wasn't something I had initially thought about; not really.
I already suffered from depression and anxiety previous to my diagnosis. Up until that point I had managed to get it under control to a degree and I was medication free. However, being given some news as life changing as that can have a traumatic effect on your mental sta Continue reading