many causes of death higher than diabetes

[Guest guest]

Hi, listen this may seem pretty depressing but at the end are lots

of ways we can keep ourselves healty. I think it will help us take

diabetes seriously and live longer too.--Vicki MeizingerMany Causes of

Death Higher in Diabetes

Many Causes of Death Higher in Diabetes

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Filed Under: Tips for Managing Diabetes

</tips-for-managing-diabetes/>

People with diabetes tend to die earlier, and not just from heart

disease </topic/heart-disease/> and stroke, a new study finds. A

50-year-old with diabetes dies about 6 years sooner than someone without

the disease, the research found. That compares with a 10-year shortened

lifespan for longtime smokers. Researchers combined information from

nearly 100 studies. They included 820,900 people. No one had been

diagnosed with heart disease </topic/heart-disease/> when the studies

began. Average follow-up was about 13 ½ years. In that time, 123,000

people died. Researchers adjusted their numbers to account for other

factors that affect life expectancy. These included age, gender, weight

and smoking. Even with the adjustments, those who had diabetes were

twice as likely to die of a heart attack </topic/heart-attack/> or

stroke </topic/stroke/> as those without the disease. They also were 25%

more likely to die of cancer. They had higher death rates for several

other causes, too. These included infections, lung disease, kidney

disease </category/kidneys-and-the-urinary-system/kidney-disease>, falls

and suicide. /The New England Journal of Medicine /published the study.

The Associated Press wrote about it March 3.

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

We've known for a long time that diabetes is linked with further health

problems.

They include:

*

Kidney disease </category/kidneys-and-the-urinary-system/kidney-disease>

*

Nerve disease

*

Retinopathy (disease of the retina at the back of the eye)

Diabetes also comes with a greatly increased risk of heart and artery

disease, such as heart attack </topic/heart-attack/> and stroke

</topic/stroke/>.

We are also learning that people with diabetes have even more health

risks, compared with people who don't have diabetes. A new study focused

on this issue by asking a simple question: What is the cause of death of

people with diabetes?

The report reviewed 97 previous studies. It found that the overall death

rate was nearly doubled among diabetics. As expected, deaths from heart

and artery disease were more than twice as high as among non-diabetics.

But, surprisingly, many other causes of death were also higher for

people with diabetes. Overall, a middle-aged man with diabetes

</topic/diabetes/> could expect to live 6 fewer years than a

non-diabetic. About 40% of this reduced lifespan was the result of

causes other than heart and artery disease. The causes included higher

risks of death from:

*

Many types of cancer

*

Kidney disease

*

Liver and digestive diseases

*

Pneumonia and other infections

*

Mental illness and suicide

These findings held up even after taking account of age, smoking, gender

and weight. The researchers also looked at blood sugar levels. They

found that the increased death risk was less dramatic for people whose

sugar was well controlled. This suggests that careful control of blood

sugar could offset at least some of the increased risk of death linked

to diabetes.

One strength of this study is its size. It included nearly 830,000

people. It analyzed information on more than 123,000 deaths. This size

allows the study to detect differences between diabetics and

non-diabetics that smaller studies can't match.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

I think we can take away at least three important messages from this

research:

*

The shorter lifespan of people with diabetes is caused by several

conditions in addition to heart and artery disease.

*

We should all do what we can to prevent diabetes.

*

If you have diabetes, maintaining tight control of blood sugar may

be even better for your health than we thought.

Ask your doctor whether you should be tested for diabetes. An estimated

6 million people in the United States have diabetes and don't know it.

Risk of diabetes is highest among those who are overweight or have a

family history of the disease.

Could you be at risk? Find out your body mass index (BMI), a measure of

weight in relationship to height. Also, find out whether any of your

closest relatives have or had diabetes </topic/diabetes/>. Then, talk to

your doctor about how you might avoid diabetes in the future.

You can take steps to reduce your risk of diabetes.

*

Eat in a healthier way. In particular, choose a diet that helps you

to lose excess weight. Your diet also should be:

o

High in whole grains and fiber

o

Low in saturated fat

*

Exercise regularly.

*

Take metformin (Glucophage) if you are at high risk for diabetes.

Studies show that people with pre-diabetes are 30% less likely to

develop diabetes if they take metformin. Pre-diabetes means that you

have above-normal blood sugar, but it's not high enough for the

diagnosis of diabetes.

If you already have diabetes, you can take important measures to reduce

your risk of further health problems.

*

Change your diet. Limit your intake of concentrated sweets,

cholesterol </topic/cholesterol/> and total calories. It may be

helpful to meet with a nutritionist.

*

Don't smoke.

*

Exercise regularly.

*

Have regular eye and dental checkups.

*

Get regular foot examinations. Try to avoid blisters. This can

prevent serious skin ulcers or infections. Consider seeing a

podiatrist regularly.

*

Monitor and control your blood sugar. Most people can keep it close

to normal with a combination of diet, exercise and medicines.

*

Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol </topic/cholesterol/>

normal, or even low. You may need one or more medicines.

*

Talk to your doctor about whether you should take low-dose aspirin

to prevent blood clots and an ACE inhibitor to protect your kidneys.

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Filed Under: Tips for Managing Diabetes

</tips-for-managing-diabetes/>

Spotlight on Diabetes

* Diabetes and Heart Risk

</tips-for-managing-diabetes/how-diabetes-affects-heart-disease-risk>

* 8 Must-Have Items </tips-for-managing-diabetes/your-diabetes-toolkit>

* Diabetes and Alcohol

</tips-for-managing-diabetes/diabetes-and-alcohol-consumption>

* Diabetes and Food Choices

</tips-for-managing-diabetes/diabetes-and-food-choices>

* How to Test Glucose

</tips-for-managing-diabetes/tips-for-monitoring-your-blood-glucose>

/Reference: //*Diabetes <http://www.bettermedicine.com/topic/diabetes/>

*//section on Better Medicine/

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