Diabetes Fatalities in US Top 100,000 for Second C
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Diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States in 2019, claiming the lives of more than 87,000 individuals. However, recently publicized data shows that more than 100,000 individuals in the U.S. succumbed to diabetes last year. These new figures come as the National Clinical Care Commission calls for Congress to improve diabetes care and prevention, having given recommendations to stop relying solely on medical interventions.
A report that was released last month urges that broader policy changes be made in an effort to contain the diabetes epidemic. These changes include expanding access to affordable housing, imposing taxes on sugary drinks, giving paid maternal leave in workplaces and promoting the consumption of healthier foods.
A CDC provisional death data analysis shows that deaths associated with diabetes increased by 17% in 2020 then by 15% the following year, in comparison to pre-pandemic level. These figures do not include deaths directly linked to the coronavirus, with the CDC noting that additional deaths from last year were still being enumerated.
UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Paul Hsu stated that the high number of diabetes deaths for the second consecutive year was alarming as type 2 diabetes was relatively preventable, which made it all the more tragic. Roughly 11% of the U.S. population, which makes up about 37 million individuals, have diabetes. Estimates from the commission show that one in every three Americans will develop the chronic ailment in their lifetimes if the present trends persist.
In their report, the experts on the National Clinical Care Commissions explained that America needed to adopt a broader approach to prevent more individuals from developing type 2 diabetes while also helping those who already had the ailment to avoid life-threatening complications. The commission also explained in its report that diabetes in America couldn’t be addressed as a health care or medical issue alone but also needed to be viewed as a societal issue, which cut across various sectors, including the environmental, transportation, commerce, housing and food sectors.
Senator Patty Murray, who helped establish the commission a few years ago, currently chairs the Senate Health Committee. In a statement, Murray explained that individuals living with chronic diseases such as diabetes were already facing problems before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the pandemic had only made these issues worse. Murray noted that it was important to study and find solutions that would offer better support to patients with diabetes and provide them with the care they needed.
Speaking of solutions, a number of entities, including Nemaura Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD), have come up with technologies that can help patients manage diabetes better so that complications can be minimized as the years go by.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Nemaura Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NMRD
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