U.S. diabetes deaths top 100,000 for second straight year

[dalton99a]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exclusive-us-diabetes-deaths-top-100000-second-straight-year-federal-panel-urges-2022-01-31/

Exclusive: U.S. diabetes deaths top 100,000 for second straight year
By Chad Terhune and Robin Respaut
January 31, 2022 9:00 AM CST

Jan 31 (Reuters) - More than 100,000 Americans died from diabetes in 2021, marking the second consecutive year for that grim milestone and spurring a call for a federal mobilization similar to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The new figures come as an expert panel urges Congress to overhaul diabetes care and prevention, including recommendations to move beyond a reliance on medical interventions alone. A report released earlier this month calls for far broader policy changes to stem the diabetes epidemic, such as promoting consumption of healthier foods, ensuring paid maternal leave from the workplace, levying taxes on sugary drinks and expanding access to affordable housing, among other areas.

High costs for doctor's visits, medications and supplies force many diabetes patients to forgo or delay routine care. Many patients and U.S. lawmakers have expressed outrage at the rising price of insulin, which type 1 diabetes patients must take their entire lives and which is sometimes required to keep type 2 patients’ disease under control. The commission endorsed proposals such as capping insulin price increases to the rate of inflation and government negotiation of drug prices.

To further ease financial barriers, the panel recommended that patients’ out-of-pocket costs be waived for other "high-value" treatments, including certain diabetes drugs, continuous glucose monitors, basic supplies and diabetes education.

[RockRaven]

2. And if you think that bad, wait until you hear about this thing called COVID...

I'm no math genius, but a million deaths over two years comes out to five times the rate of what they are talking about here.

Repukes have consistently and perversely stood in the way of federal responses to COVID; it is not plausible to expect anything different for diabetes. Don't get your hopes up for any useful action from Congress.

[Ruby Zee]

3. Statins

I wish physicians would pay more attention to the link between statins and development of diabetes. Statins are way over prescribed, and often unnecessarily. Maybe they should also look more closely at the statistics of relative benefit versus absolute benefit.

[Hoyt]

4. There are some studies. Here's an article citing several.

“. . . . . That people are “mildly more likely” to become diabetic is something to consider, he says; other study results had suggested the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes is about 9%, he says, and is almost completely seen in individuals with a higher waist circumference, diagnosis of obesity, and higher blood triglyceride levels.”

“ “Statins seem to take anyone who almost has diabetes and push them over the edge,” says Dr. Knowles. More to the point, the data suggest that the risks of T2D are similar whether you take a statin or not.

““If you don’t have prediabetes, are not overweight, and don’t high triglycerides, your risk is closer to 3% over the next 7 to 8 years., and your risk is nearly the same at 2% if you don’t take a statin. However, if you have prediabetes and are overweight, your risk without a statin is 15 to 18% and about 22% with a statin,” he says. . . . . “


https://www.endocrineweb.com/news/62141-do-statins-cause-diabetes-heart-attacks-likely-pose-greater-concern

[uponit7771]

5. Wonder if CV is pushing blood sugars over the edge, I know when I had it my BG was sky high ...

... and it wasn't the 4 gallons of Breyers mint chocolate chip I ate

[JCMach1]

6. And in related news, Covid gave me/triggered

However you want to look at it, Type 2