Product News and Recalls

Diabetes increasing at alarming rate

A story in the Huffington Post says there’s been an alarming increase in diabetes in recent years. Officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project that as many as one in three Americans could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue.

According to the article, CDC officials estimate that one in 10 Americans have diabetes now, amounting to about 24 million.

Treatment is available, but some treatments carry health risks of their own. For example, the diabetes medications Byetta and Januvia have both been linked to pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Byetta has also been linked to an increased risk of thyroid cancer.

Diabetes, a disease in which the body has trouble processing sugar, comes in two forms.

In Type 1 diabetes, traditionally diagnosed in children or young adults, the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin to help sugar get into cells. With Type 2, which now accounts for about 95 percent of cases, the body’s cells resist insulin’s attempts to transport sugar.

The Huffington Post says Type 2 is most common in people who are overweight and obese, in people 60 and older, and in African-Americans and other minority groups. The increasing rate of diabetes is linked to rising obesity rates, the story says.

The report quotes Dr. Sue Kirkman of the American Diabetes Association as saying: “The magnitude is a bit surprising. But the trend is not.”

You should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns, and before making any changes in medication. You should also consult with a Lopez McHugh attorney if you or a loved one was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after taking Januvia or Byetta.

See the story here:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/number-of-diabetic-americ_n_772413.html