From Fullerton & Company
November is American Diabetes Month, and the American Diabetes Association’s main goal is to raise the awareness of this growing disease and encourage people to make healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes.
With 26 million Americans now living with diabetes, and another 79 million at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, this chronic but manageable disease can be prevented or controlled through various lifestyle habits including eating healthy, regular exercise, limiting alcohol consumption and quitting smoking.

About Diabetes

Prevalence

  • Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
  • Another 79 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.

The Toll on Health

  • Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.
  • Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
  • Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults.
  • The rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than for people without diabetes.
  • About 60-70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems.

Cost of Diabetes

  • The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $174 billion.
    • Direct medical costs reach $116 billion and the average medical expenditure among people with diabetes is 2.3 times higher than those without the disease.
    • Indirect costs amount to $58 billion (disability, work loss, premature mortality).
    • Further published studies suggest that when additional costs for gestational diabetes, prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes are included, the total diabetes-related costs in the U.S. could exceed $218 billion.
  • The cost of caring for someone with diabetes is $1 out of every $5 in total healthcare costs.

What can we do?

Many organizations are promoting healthy lifestyles by implementing company-sponsored wellness programs. Many of these programs encourage employees to eat healthy, exercise regularly and discontinue bad habits, such as smoking or drinking alcohol in excess.
Sources:
http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/programs/american-diabetes-month/