Report: N.C. diabetes cases increase in 10 years
Published: Thu, May. 22, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Thu, May. 22, 2008 05:17AM
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closeNearly one in 10 North Carolinians now has diabetes as an epidemic continues to expand, a new state report says.
The report from the state Division of Public Health shows that the share of people with diabetes in North Carolina more than doubled in a decade, jumping from 4.4 percent in 1996 to 9.1 percent in 2006.
Nationally, 7.5 percent of the population has diabetes.
A GROWING PROBLEM IN N.C.
WHAT'S FUELING THE EPIDEMIC? In a word, obesity. Ninety percent of North Carolinians with diabetes have type 2, which is strongly linked to obesity. Since 1996, obesity in North Carolina has increased by nearly 60 percent. One in four people in the state are obese, and only about a third are considered normal weight. In addition, less than half of state residents are physically active.
WHO HAS DIABETES? It cuts across all groups, but it's far more prevalent among blacks and Native Americans. The diabetes rate among blacks is more than 13 percent, and for Indians it is nearly 10 percent, compared with less than 9 percent for whites. Asians have the lowest rate, 3.5 percent.
CAN THE DISEASE BE MANAGED? It can, but it takes careful monitoring, which often means several finger sticks and shots each day. The report found that many are failing to get proper care.
HOW DEADLY IS DIABETES? More than 2,200 people died from it in 2006, making it the seventh-leading cause of death in North Carolina. It is the third-leading cause of death among Native Americans and the fourth-leading cause among blacks.
Read the entire report online at www.ncdiabetes.org.
BY THE NUMBERS
4 million
Number of North Carolina residents at risk of developing diabetes
9 million
Number of people who live in North Carolina
20
Percentage of people with diabetes who went without medication or testing supplies at least once during the year for financial reasons
276,000
Approximate number of people in North Carolina who have not been trained to manage their diabetes
More Health & Science
While a rising diabetes rate is nothing new, public health experts say it's troubling that the trend shows no signs of slowing.
In 2006, more than 16,000 people in North Carolina were hospitalized for diabetes at a cost of $257 million. Those figures do not include hospitalizations for problems such as heart and kidney disease, which are often linked to diabetes.
"We've had many generations of kids that do better and live longer than their parents," said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief of the public health division's Chronic Disease and Injury Section. "And we think we're on the cusp of seeing that change."
Plescia said the trend can be reversed, but he said it will take political will, money and broad societal changes. Communities need to be set up to encourage exercise, with more parks and walking opportunities, along with more public transit. And healthy food needs to become as widely available as high-calorie processed food.
"I think we have a set of tools that we could put into place that would really deal with this," Plescia said. "We just haven't made that decision as a society."
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