Did You Know? Diabetes Continues to Soar

Diabetes Continues to Soar: The number of American adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007, rising from about 9 million to 19 million.. By age groups, the number of adults treated for diabetes increased from 4.3 million to 8 million among people age 65 and older; 3.6 million to 8.9 million among adults aged 45 to 64; and 1.2 million to 2.4 million among people aged 18 to 44. The total treatment costs for diabetes also climbed from $18.5 billion to nearly $41 billion during that time. In addition, the per-patient cost of prescription drugs more than doubled, jumping from $495 to $1,048 a year. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Jan 5, 2011