The High Cost of Diabetes

Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death where I live (New Mexico) and the 7th leading cause in the United States in general. Complications from diabetes include premature death, cardiovascular disease, blindness, end-stage kidney disease, and lower extremity amputations. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and stroke and about 65% of deaths in people with diabetes are due to these conditions. Not only are the medical costs associated with this disease very high, but there are ancillary costs, such as costs due to lower productivity, disability and loss of productive life due to premature death, which increase the overall cost of this disease.

 Diabetes Deaths by Year, New Mexico 2000-2010 and U.S. 2000-2009


Focus on diet, exercise, and lifestyle change has thus far been relatively ineffective at curbing this epidemic. Furthermore, these types of changes would have little effect on type 1 diabetics who are insulin-dependent. Therefore, the solution in my mind is to first find better methods of controlling blood sugar levels, such as the Artificial Pancreas Project for type 1 diabetes and better medication for type 2 diabetes, and second, find a cure for these diseases.

~Lori Dotson, CPT, CPFT, PES, BA, MS
President, DotsoFit, LLC


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