Current Diabetes Landscape in the United States

By Access Nurse

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Currently, over 40% of the United States’ total population has a chronic illness — that’s more than 144 million people.

Of those with chronic diseases, 34.2 million Americans have one of three types of diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, Gestational Diabetes, and prediabetes) — the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.

 

Despite a decrease in new diabetes cases overall within the last decade (except in people younger than 20 years), 1.5 million diabetes cases are still diagnosed each year.

 

Even with a decline in new cases, the prevalence of diabetes continues, still making this chronic illness a major concern for the healthcare industry. It’s projected that by 2030, a total of 54.9 million Americans will have diabetes.

According to Population Health Management, here’s why:

• As the United States’ population continues to grow, so will diabetes.
  • • Diabetes incidents increase dramatically later in life. Now that people are living longer, these potential cases of diabetes won’t show up until later.
    • The African American population is predicted to grow 41.1% by 2060, and the Hispanic American population is predicted to grow 93.5% by 2060. Parallelly, both of these population groups are among the top three ethnicities to have a higher risk of diabetes, American Indians and Alaska Natives ranking the highest. As these populations grow, so will the prevalence of diabetes.
    • Finally, the continued increase in children’s diabetes means more young and middle-aged adults will be living with diabetes in the oncoming years.

 

Let’s Take A Closer Look At Diabetes Cases in the U.S.

Diabetes Cases in the United States by Age Even with a decline in diabetes cases overall, in the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled. 34.2 million US adults have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it. Children Diabetes Cases in the United States According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, new type 1 and type 2 diabetes cases have significantly developed in younger populations. In February, 2020 the CDC published a report that proved the number of new cases of children diabetes increased in the United States, with a 4.8% increase per year for type 2 diabetes and a 1.9% increase per year for type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes Cases in the United States by Ethnicity According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the African American and Hispanic American populations are among the highest people diagnosed with diabetes.

Diabetes Cases in the United States by Gender According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, male diabetic cases continue to rise faster than women diabetic cases. In the past five years, an average of 10.4% of the diabetic incidents are female cases, and an average of 11.3% cases are from the male population.

Nurse Triage Can Support Diabetic Care Adherence and Help Identify Complications Early

Diabetes patients pose a high risk for complications and requires constant and immediate access to resources to help manage their disease. According to the CDC, only 1 in 4 adults with diagnosed diabetes achieves combined diabetes care goals. These goals include:

• • • • maintaining a normal hemoglobin level (A1c < 8%),
      • maintaining normal blood pressure (< 140/90 mmHg),
      • maintaining a normal cholesterol (non-HDL < 130 mg/dl),
      • Remaining physically active, and
      • refraining from smoking.

While these goals can feel cumbersome and unachievable to a diabetic patient, nurse triaging services can directly support patients in achieving and maintaining a healthy status.  Healthcare organizations can use nurse triaging services to manage patients with chronic illnesses by:

• • • • Conducting preventive care calls
      • Increasing quality of life by manage patients remotely
      • Triaging new symptoms in real-time

Let AccessNurse Support Your Chronic Illness Management Strategy

Accessnurse has over 25 years of experience supporting more than 500 healthcare organizations with medical call center services. Let AccessNurse support you in caring for patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes. Click here to connect with us!