16 million Americans are affected; CDC researchers blame obesity, lifestyles

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Friday, January 26, 2001

Diabetes on verge of epidemic as cases rise 41% since 1990

16 million Americans are affected; CDC researchers blame obesity, lifestyles

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KITTA MACPHERSON NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

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Federal disease experts tracking tens of thousands of patients over time

have uncovered what they regard as a silent epidemic and a looming health

crisis in America -- an unparalleled escalation in the rates of diabetes

over the past nine years.

The number of people suffering from diabetes -- about 16 million U.S.

citizens -- has increased by 41 percent since 1990, when researchers at the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started monitoring efforts,

officials said, citing figures that will be published today.

``This dramatic new evidence signals the unfolding of an epidemic in the

United States,'' said Dr. Koplan, director of the CDC. ``With

obesity on the rise, we can expect diabetes to increase sharply as a result.

If these dangerous trends continue at the current rates, the impact on our

nation's health and medical care costs in future years will be

overwhelming.''

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use

insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into

energy needed for daily life. The chronic illness is the seventh-leading

cause of death in the United States. There are treatments but no cure. Its

cause is a mystery. Both genetics and environmental factors, such as obesity

and lack of exercise, appear to play roles in its onset.

According to the CDC's 1999 survey, increases in diabetes were noted in

every category examined including gender, age, race, education, weight and

smoking status. Prevalence increased among both women and men and among all

ethnic groups.

``Normally, when we at the CDC use the word `epidemic,' we don't use it

lightly,'' said Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist in charge of the study.

``But here, we have seen a fast spread that has affected a large part of the

population. We really have never seen anything like this with a chronic

disease. It has raised a lot of concern here.''

The findings will be reported in the February issue of Diabetes Care, a

journal of the American Diabetes Association. The figures show that diabetes

rates rose 6 percent among adults from 1998 to 1999. The report is a

follow-up to a study CDC scientists released in September showing that

diabetes rose 33 percent among U.S. adults between 1990 and 1998. The new

figures show that the trend continues with increased intensity.

Last year, CDC scientists also linked the increase in diabetes with the

rising rates of obesity, a major risk factor for diabetes. The prevalence of

obesity increased significantly from 17.9 percent in 1998 to 18.9 percent in

1999, an increase of 5.6 percent in one year and a jump of 57 percent from

1991, according to the study.

In 1997, an estimated $98 billion was spent on diabetes-related health care.

``We're eating more and exercising less and less,'' Mokdad said. ``It's our

lifestyle that is doing this to us.''