|
The level of care that diabetes patients receive in the United States falls far below current national recommendations. Diabetes is a serious disease, but most of the complications could be prevented or delayed with the appropriate treatment and interventions.
Diabetes care in the United States can be vastly improved and such improvement, may yield substantial health benefits.
Overall, only about 30% of the respondents had had their hemoglobin A1c, which measures long-term blood sugar control, tested during the previous 12 months and 18% of them had levels greater than 9.5%, indicating that their blood sugar was poorly controlled. Further, only about 4 in 10 respondents said they monitored their blood glucose level at least once every day.
Roughly one third of respondents reported having poorly controlled blood pressure, about 37% said they did not have annual dilated eye examinations and 45% said they did not undergo annual foot exams.
People with diabetes face a high risk of blindness, which is why they are urged to have eye exams annually. Foot exams are also crucial because people with diabetes can develop sores on their feet that can become infected and ultimately lead to the need for amputation.
"When applied to the estimated 7.9 million persons 18 to 75 years of age in the United States who have diagnosed diabetes, these statistics translated to an estimated.1.4 million persons with hemoglobin A1c levels greater than 9.5%, 2.7 million with uncontrolled blood pressure, 2.9 million without annual dilated eye examinations, and 3.6 million without annual foot examinations.
Annals of Internal Medicine April, 2002;136:565-574
| 