Health
Obesity driving up diabetes cases and costs
Posted: Nov 30, 2009 10:03 AM by Bea Karnes
The number of diabetes cases in this country is expected to nearly double in the next 25 years -- from 23-million to 44-million in the year 2034, according to researchers at the University of Chicago.
A surge in obesity in this country has prompted doctors to test more people for diabetes. That's leading to early diagnosis and treatment. This early intervention is leading to longer life-spans for diabetics, but also driving up the costs of treatment.
Experts are predicting that obesity levels will reach their peak in the next decade, and then decline slightly to 27% of the population.
The study is published in the Dec. 2009 issue of Diabetes Care.
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