Important facts for Kimkins members or anyone who needs to lose weight — listen up! Approximately 80% of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.
Thi diagram shows why diabetics sometimes need limb amputations due to poor circulation. Diabetes causes damage to blood vessels and this affects circulation. The tissue essentially starves to death and dies.
Poor Circulation
People with diabetes are at risk for blood vessel injury, which may be severe enough to cause tissue damage in the legs and feet. If nerve damage is also a problem, then the person may not be aware of the injuries that have occurred in their legs or feet.
At that point, minor infections sometimes develop into deep tissue injuries that may even require surgery. In extreme cases, amputation of the foot or limb may be necessary. Good foot care is very important to prevent problems.
Excess body weight is the single most important risk factor for type 2 diabetes, particularly those whose fat is distributed round their middle (apple shaped) rather than those whose fat is distributed on their hips and thighs (pear shape).
Risk of diabetes is approximately doubled for those who are moderately overweight and tripled for those with obesity.
Check out this report of the horrendous affect diabetes has ravaged in New York City alone! These same figures will replicate all across America, in every big city and every small town. Wake up America!
Diabetes Hospital Costs Have Doubled In New York City Since 1990
The diabetes epidemic is taking a large and growing toll on New York City, a new Health Department report shows, as death rates, debilitating complications, and hospitalization costs soar.
Some 500,000 New Yorkers – 1 out of 8 adults – have been diagnosed with diabetes. Another 200,000 have diabetes but don’t yet know it. The death rate from diabetes rose by 71% between 1990 and 2003.
The new publication, which synthesizes research findings from the past several years, is available at www.nyc.gov/health. In addition to charting the impact of diabetes in New York City, it exposes unacceptable disparities among neighborhoods and racial/ethnic groups.
- New Yorkers in East Harlem, Williamsburg-Bushwick and certain parts of the South Bronx (especially Morrisania) are hospitalized for diabetes at 10 times the rate of people living on the Upper East Side.
- Residents in the most affected areas also die from diabetes at seven times the rate of New Yorkers in the least affected neighborhoods.
- Among racial/ethnic groups, black New Yorkers have the highest death rate from diabetes, dying at three times the rate of white New Yorkers.
New Yorkers with diabetes are now hospitalized at a rate nearly 80% higher than the national rate. And the cost of these hospitalizations has skyrocketed in recent years, hitting $481 million in 2003, up from $242 million in 1990. Figures drawn from national estimates of total diabetes costs, including lost productivity and other non-medical costs, suggest that the economic impact of diabetes in New York City exceeds $6 billion annually.
Diabetes Management is Key
Many diabetes hospitalizations and deaths can be prevented by better management of the disease.
Dr. Shadi Chamany, director of the Health Department’s Diabetes Prevention and Control program, emphasized that people with diabetes can live long and healthy lives if they carefully manage their blood sugar (an A1C level of less than 7%), blood pressure (less than 130 over 80) and bad cholesterol (LDL level below 100 mg/dL).
While most New Yorkers with diabetes are accessing health care, the report finds that both patients and providers could do much better.
Among New Yorkers with diabetes:
- Most had a check-up in the past year, but more than one third did not receive an eye or foot exam.
- About 80% had their blood sugar tested in the past year, but only 16% knew their blood sugar level.
- About 45% had poor control of blood sugar, putting them at risk of serious health complications.
- 25% of New Yorkers with diabetes is a smoker.
The Health Department monitors blood sugar control citywide by requiring clinical laboratories to report blood sugar (A1C) test results to a central registry. This registry – the first of its kind in the nation – will enable the Health Department to give clinicians and patients feedback and resources that can improve the quality of care and quality of life for New Yorkers with diabetes.
The New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the Health Department in 2004, provided the first-ever estimates on diabetes prevalence and blood sugar control by using interviews, blood tests, and medical exams. This survey provided baseline data for tracking diabetes over time.
The Yearly Toll of Diabetes in New York City
- Hospitalizations: 20,000
- Amputations from diabetes: 3,000
- New cases of kidney failure: 1,400
- Diabetes-related deaths: 4,700
- Hospitalization costs alone: $480 mil.
- Total cost: ~$6.5 billion
