Diabetics now living for longer

New research from the United States has highlighted that people who have developed diabetes are now living longer than ever before.

The study, by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health, which was based on data from 250,000 adults from 1997 to 2006 and reported in the journal Diabetes Care, found that diabetics are living a lot longer and that patient deaths had been reduced by 23 per cent. This was explained by improved medical therapies, especially for high blood pressure and cholesterol, and people smoking less and taking more exercise. Deaths from heart disease and stroke were also reported to be down by a huge 40 per cent.

However, although the rate of reduction, which is the same for men and women, is good news it does mean that because people are living longer and an increasing amount of people are being diagnosed with diabetes, the total number of diabetics is expected to continue to go up. In the US, the number of those diagnosed has more than tripled since 1980, and there are now thought to be 25.8 million people with diabetes in the country.

Ann Albright, from the CDC, pointed out "Taking care of your heart through healthy lifestyle choices is making a difference, but Americans continue to die from a disease that can be prevented."