The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on Tuesday, Dec. 1, showing that new diabetes cases in the United States are dropping, but that does not necessarily mean that the epidemic is over.
After years and years of unprecedented rise, the numbers are finally showing promise and Americans look as if they are headed for better diabetes prognoses.
In the report issued by the federal agency, the rate of new cases dropped from 1.7 million in 2009 to 1.4 million in 2014. Such finding is said to be the first maintained drop since 1990, when the endocrine disorder started to break out in the U.S.
Although gradual declines in yearly rates have been noted, these changes were not sufficient to cause major differences statistically. The recently released 2014 data do.
"After so many years of seeing increases, it is surprising," said Edward Gregg, a diabetes researcher from the CDC.
The most significant drop in diabetes numbers were noted in men, young people, middle-aged adults, white people and those who received education beyond high school. Although not that big, rate declines were also observed in elderly and minorities.
The exact reason for the drop of cases has not yet been clearly identified. Experts hypothesize that programs emphasizing preventive measures such as regular exercise and decreased consumption of sugary food and drinks may play a vital role. "This is what's supposed to happen when you put a lot of effort into prevention over the years," said Gregg,
The report appears to spell nothing but good news, however, experts said it is not high time to rejoice. Despite the apparent decline of cases, there are still approximately 22 million Americans battling diabetes at present.
Dr. Robert Gabbay, the chief medical officer of Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston said the news is a little dip that is motivating, but it does mean "everyone can go home."
The trends of diabetes cases hugely affect the wellbeing and economy of the country. Diabetes is known to cause stroke, heart diseases, kidney failure, blindness and hearing impairments among many others.
The National Institute of Health even said that cardiovascular diseases are nearly twice as high among people diagnosed with diabetes than those who are not. The government is losing about $176 billion because of health care costs associated with diabetes management and the economy suffers approximately $69 billion due to decreased productivity, disabilities and early mortality.
Photo: John Ramspott | Flickr
