For the second year in a row, the United States experienced more than 100,000 deaths from diabetes, signaling a “cause for alarm.”
Over the past two years, diabetes-related deaths have surged past 100,000, with deaths increasing by 17% in 2020 and 15% in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Type 2 diabetes itself is relatively preventable, so it’s even more tragic that so many deaths are occurring,” said Dr. Paul Hsu, an epidemiologist with the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA, according to Reuters.
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A total of 37.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, representing 11.3% of the population. Of those, 28.7 million have been diagnosed, and 8.5 million are living with undiagnosed diabetes, according to data from the CDC. Deaths from diabetes reached 87,000 in 2019, making it the seventh most common cause of death at the time.
The National Clinical Care Commission submitted a report in early January to Congress and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to request a revamp of diabetic healthcare and recommend how to improve existing diabetes prevention and treatment programs.
Type 1 diabetes, which primarily affects children and teenagers, “accounts for five to 10 percent of diabetes in the U.S.” Meanwhile, Type 2 diabetes, an increased risk for older adults, “accounts for 90% to 95% of diabetes in the U.S.”
“Diabetes in the U.S. cannot simply be viewed as a medical or health care problem, but also must be addressed as a societal problem that cuts across many sectors, including food housing, commerce, transportation and the environment,” the commission wrote in the report.
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The increase in deaths from diabetes comes as the U.S. continues to maintain the highest COVID-19 related deaths. To date, the U.S. has reported a total of 74,328,530 coronavirus-related cases and 883,370 deaths, according to data from the New York Times.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the CDC for a statement but did not receive a response.
