Knoxville, TN, June, 2007—

New data underscoring the growing incidence of serious complications from type 2 diabetes prompted a warning from Amputee Coalition of America CEO Paddy Rossbach about "an epidemic of health complications from diabetes. Urgent action is needed to solve this crisis by educating people with type 2 diabetes about the importance of managing their blood sugar level." Ms. Rossbach said that men and women with diabetes have a much higher incidence of specific health problems than individuals with normal blood sugar levels, particularly a prevalence of macrovascular problems, those related to the heart and large blood vessels:

● Congestive heart failure occurs in 7.9 percent of people with diagnosed diabetes vs. only 1.1 percent of individuals without diabetes

● Heart attack occurs in 9.8 percent of people with diabetes compared to 1.8 percent of those without diabetes

● Coronary heart disease occurs in 9.1 percent of people with diabetes vs. 2.1 percent without diabetes

● Strokes occur in 6.6 percent of people with diabetes compared to 1.8 percent without that disease.

Citing data from a new report, “State of Diabetes Complications in America,” Ms. Rossbach pointed out that chronic kidney disease occurs in 27.8 percent of people with diabetes vs. only 6.1 percent without diabetes, and foot problems including foot/toe amputation, foot lesions and numbness in the feet occur in 22.8 percent of people with diabetes vs. 10 percent without diabetes. She also warned that eye damage occurs in 18.9 percent of people with diabetes.

Ms. Rossbach cited data from “The State of Diabetes Complications in America,” an analysis of national health and economic data specific to type 2 diabetes complications, which was released recently by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in partnership with the members of a diabetes complications consortium that include the Amputee Coalition of America, Mended Hearts, the National Federation of the Blind and the National Kidney Foundation, and supported by GlaxoSmithKline.

Overall, an estimated three out of five people (57.9 percent) with type 2 diabetes have at least one of the other serious health problems commonly associated with the disease, and these health problems are taking a heavy financial toll on the United States. In 2006 nearly $23 billion was spent on direct medical costs related to diabetes complications, Ms. Rossbach estimated.

“The reality is that the risk of developing the serious health complications associated with type 2 diabetes can be reduced. People with type 2 diabetes should work with their healthcare provider to develop a personal diabetes management plan that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity,” said Ms. Rossbach of the ACA.

She warned that lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to lower blood sugar adequately, and many people with type 2 diabetes also may need medicines to control blood sugar levels. They should track how their diabetes plan is working by monitoring their blood sugar regularly with a blood glucose meter and by getting an A1c test. The AACE recommends an A1c target level of 6.5 percent or lower. Reaching this target is important since every one percent increase above six percent significantly elevates the risk of serious complications from diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed diabetes cases and affects more than 18 million people in the United States. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive and serious disease that occurs either when the body does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not respond properly to its natural insulin. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood and over time and high levels of blood sugar can lead to a variety of serious diabetes-related complications including heart disease, stroke, eye damage, kidney disease and foot problems that can lead to amputations.

To learn more about managing type 2 diabetes and how to reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications, Ms. Rossbach recommends visiting http://stateofdiabetes.comor the ACA’s Website, http://www.amputee-coalition.org.

The Amputee Coalition of America is a national, non-profit amputee consumer educational organization that advocates on behalf of people who have experienced amputation or are born with limb differences. The ACA includes individual amputees, amputee educational and support groups, family members and friends of amputees, physicians and other health care and rehabilitation professionals, prosthetists, amputation or limb loss related agencies and other organizations.

For information on becoming a member or making a donation to the Amputee Coalition of America, please visit the ACA website at http://www.amputee-coalition.org. A national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Amputee Coalition of America relies on grants and private support its programs. Most donations to the Amputee Coalition of America are tax deductible. ###