Study: Diabetes in U.S. adults has doubled

The number of U.S. adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, rising from about 9 million to 19 million, a federal government report released Wednesday says.

The number of adults treated for diabetes increased from 4.3 million to 8 million among those 65 and older; 3.6 million to 8.9 million for those 45 to 64; and 1.2 million to 2.4 million among people 18 to 44, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Diabetes comes in two forms: type 1, an autoimmune disorder in which patients lack the insulin-producing cells needed to control blood sugar; and type 2, often related to obesity, in which cells gradually lose sensitivity to insulin. More than 95 percent of diabetes cases are type 2.

"Rates of diabetes have risen in all age groups. Twenty years ago, type 2 diabetes was unheard of in children and young adults, but now it is being diagnosed even in these younger age groups," said Dr. Christine Resta of the division of endocrinology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. "Part of this rise is increased detection. But part of it is a real increase in the rates. . . . There is no doubt that rising rates of obesity are linked to the rising rates of diabetes."

The total treatment costs for diabetes also climbed from $18.5 billion to nearly $41 billion during that time, according to the AHRQ's analysis. - HealthDay