Diabetes Management Update: A Patient-Centered Approach- Pharmacist

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 30 million people in the US have diabetes (9% of the US population). Only 23 million have an official diagnosis, while 7 million are undiagnosed. The prevalence of diabetes is highest in American Indians/Alaskan Natives at 15%, followed by African Americans (13%), people of Hispanic ethnicity (12%) and Caucasians (7%). An estimated 84 million people in the US have prediabetes (34% of the population) – including nearly half of adults aged 65 years old and older. The prevelance of diabetes is increasing – by the year 2050, as much as 33% of the population will have the disease. This has significant implications on the long term micro- and macrovascular complications, coexisting health conditions, and costs associated with diabetes. In fact, the total healthcare costs of diagnosed diabetes increased 26% from 2012 to 2017, to $327 billion. People with diabetes incur medical expenses that are 2.3 times higher than those of individuals without diabetes. Because the population most affected by the increase in diabetes prevalence and costs are adults aged 65 years, it has a major impact on our Medicare program.