Impact of Diabetes Complications in America

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Health problems from type 2 diabetes are a serious issue in the United States and affect a significant number of people. A new report shows that approximately three out of five people with type 2 diabetes have at least one of the other serious health problems associated with the disease such as, heart disease, stroke, eye damage, kidney disease, and foot problems that can lead to amputations.

Many people with type 2 diabetes develop more than one other serious health problem associated with the disease. The new report shows that approximately:

1 out of 10 people (10.3 percent) with the disease has 2 other serious health problems
1 out of 15 people (6.7 percent) with the disease has 3 other serious health problems
1 out of 13 people (7.6 percent) with the disease has 4 or more other serious health problems

To assess the prevalence of complications, data for the State of Diabetes Complications in America report were taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004, a nationally representative survey of non-institutionalized, U.S. civilians. NHANES is a major program of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NHANES collects detailed medical information from roughly 5,000 people each year. For the report, the NHANES data are combined with economic information from the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which is cosponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the NCHS. MEPS began in 1996 compiling detailed information on healthcare utilization and expenditures. Data has been collected by MEPS through 2004. Cost estimates in this report were adjusted for inflation to reflect 2006 costs. Adults over the age of 20 were included in the NHANES and MEPS analyses and no distinction could be made between type 1 and type 2 diabetes populations. However, because type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95 percent of diagnosed diabetes cases, results from the NHANES and MEPS analyses include mostly people with type 2 diabetes. By examining both studies together, the State of Diabetes Complications in America report gives a comprehensive overview of the impact of diabetes-related complications in the U.S.