Rates of Diagnosed Diabetes in the U.S. Seem to Be Falling
The incidence of diabetes among U.S. adults shows apparent signs of retreat, according to a study in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.
Using nationally representative data, CDC scientists traced incidence and prevalence trends between 1980 and 2017. The diabetes prevalence rate was stable between 1980 and 1990, at roughly 3%. Thereafter, prevalence shot up — to roughly 8% by the late 2000s, where it remained in 2017.
However, the incidence rate actually declined from 2007 to 2017, from 7.8 to 6.0 per 1000 adults.
The authors speculate that improved access to healthy foods or diabetes awareness may have contributed to the dramatic decline in incidence, but they warn that trends for prediabetes remain high, affecting more than a third of the adult population.
LINK(S):
BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care article
