Diabetes, its costs to the economy and impact on the health and lifestyle of people - Essay Example

Introduction Diabetes is one of the most common diseases that affect people. One characteristic of the disease is that it is chronic. This means that there is no known cure and it continues to aggravate as times passes. The prevalence of the disease in the United States is estimated at 25 million people. The disease is characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood, the cause of which is yet to be established. The disease exists in three main types namely, type1, type 2 and the gestational diabetes. The most common form is the type 2 diabetes although the actual number of people suffering from this disease cannot be ascertained. This is because symptoms may not show on a victim and hence diagnosis may not be possible. This paper will look into the disease, its costs to the economy as well as show that it has a negative impact on the health and lifestyle of people. Diabetes This chronic disease occurs in various forms although it is not contagious. None of the three types of diabetes has a known cure and the only known method of curbing the disease is management. The occurrence of the disease is as a result of the insulin hormone but it is unclear why the hormone reacts in such a manner. The pancreas produces insulin which is then used to control some of the body functions including regulating the amount of sugar in the blood. Too little production of this hormone leads to excessive sugar in the body, and hence the start of diabetes. This form of the disease is known as type 1. However, this is not always the case. The production of insulin in the body may continue as expected but the body may not respond to the actions of the hormone. This mean that the normal functions of the hormone will not be fulfilled leading to lack of regulation for the blood sugar. This is known as type 2 diabetes and is by far, the most common form of diabetes. It is vital to note that both scenarios can occur in an individual. The third form of diabetes is known as gestational diabetes. Its prevalence is quite low and it only affects pregnant women. This occurs when a person has high levels of blood sugar during pregnancy. It has also been noted by some authors to be a precursor of type 2 diabetes. In addition, the likelihood of acquiring gestational diabetes has largely been associated with low income groups. This means that people who earn less are more likely to suffer from gestational diabetes. It has been estimated that this type of diabetes affects as much as 5% of pregnant women (Campbell & Rubin 2011; Collier, Mulholland, Williams, Mersereau, Turay, & Prue 2011). As such, it is important to consider the financial implication of acquiring diabetes and its subsequent management. Symptoms The disease has varying symptoms and not all of them may be visible in a victim. Type 1 diabetes is mostly observed in young people although this does not mean that older beings cannot have the disease. Type 2 does not have any specific age group that it affects but older adults are likely to develop this form of the disease. As has already been noted, gestational diabetes is observed in pregnant women. The cause for these forms and their varied appearance is unknown and diagnosis may take time, especially if a person is suffering from type 2. However, there are some common symptoms of the disease that can be observed in victims of the disease. Frequent Urination Diabetes, especially type 2, can have a serious effect on a person. When the blood sugar is not regulated in the body, the body responds through expulsion of the glucose. This can be done through urine and hence the increased urge to urinate. This is a symptom of both the type 1and type 2 diabetes. It is important to understand that frequent urination affects the body in other ways as a person finds himself thirsty most of the time. This means that such a person experiences excessive thirst. As such, excessive thirst is also a symptom of diabetes in a person. According to Cunha (2012), the disease may affect the normal functioning of the bladder and this leads to excessive urination in a patient. However, these are not the only symptoms. Others may include fatigue, blurred vision as well as urinary infections (Campbell & Rubin 2011). A person may not show all the symptoms and there is need for increased vigilance in order to have the correct diagnosis. Management of Diabetes The management of diabetes can have a serious effect on the lifestyle of a person. The disease requires extra care, especially with nutrition (Mackey, Hilliard, Berger, Streisand, Chen, & Holmes 2011). This means that people who have been diagnosed with the disorder have to put in an extra effort to contain the disease. In addition, a person suffering from the disorder has to ensure that insulin injection takes place at the required time (Hunter 2011). This places constraints on such a person and this leads to increased change in lifestyle for the patient. In addition, the disease has been considered as a precursor for other health condition and this means that such a person has to take care to ensure that the management of the disorder takes place as required. Failure to adhere to the set guidelines may complicate the life of a person further in addition to increasing costs for curbing the disease. This means that lifestyle changes are a vital part in the management of the disease. This comes with increased financial constraints for the patient. According to the American Diabetes Association (2011), the cost of diabetes in America is estimated at $174 billion. This cost is too high and this can be associated with the need to treat patient through injections with insulin, increased nutritional needs and also the loss of revenue. This section will look into the cost of diabetes and its negative effects to the lifestyle of a person. Rather than incur the cost of hiring a trained nurse to take care of the diabetic person, it has been seen that self care can achieve the same goal. This means that a person has to ensure that they inject insulin when it is required. In addition, they should also be trained on how to measure their sugar levels. This would increase their effectiveness in self care and hence reduce cost of the diabetes to the economy. This would also facilitate the improvement in lifestyles for the people suffering from the disease (Belsey, Pittard, Rao, Urdahl, Jameson, & Dixon 2009). Methods This study will utilise quantitative data acquired from secondary sources. This is an important part of the research as it enables the researcher to utilize already identified issues in the diabetes field. As such, quantitative data will show what impact the disease has on the economy of the country and the number of people that are affected by the disease. This will ensure that the research is objective and accurate as the number of people used in the research will identify the total percentage of people suffering from the disease as compared to the total population. Qualitative data will also be utilized in the study. This will also play a pivotal role in the study as it will provide descriptions that are needed in the paper. However, it should be noted that quantitative data in the research will provide the larger part of evidence. Glucose monitoring is an expensive process for a diabetic patient. Although a onetime cost may not be seen as expensive, it should be noted that diabetes is a chronic disease meaning that once diagnosed, a patient can only manage the disease. It becomes important to check the glucose levels in the body from time to time. As Stetson et al (2010) note, self-monitoring is a vital part in the management of diabetes. This means that the cost of checking the diabetes in a patient can be quite high especially if the disease is at an advanced stage. As such, the patient has to bear the effects of the increase in cost if he is unable to manage the disease. Other costs that arise from diabetes management include loss of working ability. Productivity from a person suffering from diabetes can be quite low if certain parameters are used to measure the effectiveness of a person (Brown, et al. 2011). This means that the costs for manging such disease can run into billions of dollars, depending on the approach taken by the care givers. As such, it can be seen that the disease costs not only the economy but also the person and his output. Some diabetic patient experience problems in management of the disease. This leads to increase in cost and this increase has been estimated at 3 times that of other patients (Greenapple 2011). With such high costs, it is expected that people suffering from diabetes must have lifestyle changes so as to accommodate the changes. Although this cost is high, it would be important to consider the cost of the disease to that of patients suffering from other diseases other than diabetes. This results show that the total cost of diabetes to a patient, as of 2000, was more than $11,000. However, patients suffering from other diseeases incurred a cost of $4,400. The costs are incurred from the extra care required for diabetes patients. Summary Diabetes can be a very expensive disease if not well managed. This means that the healthcare givers must take action to prevent the costs of the disease or curb the effects of the disease. It has been noted that the costs arise from both management and prevention of the disease. In addition, the nutritional expectations of the diabetic person can have a negative impact on his finances and this can be detrimental to his financial development. The lifestyle changes experienced by a person suffering from the disease are also part of the effects of the disease. Quantifying the changes in lifestyle is quite hard given the dynamics of measuring lifestyle. In addition, lifestyle and the comfort it offers can be a dynamic field and hence many people would value a similar lifestyle differently. Discussion The cost of diabetes to the patient and society is large than most other diseases. The fact that the disease is chronic means that the person must ensure that care is taken throughout as this would ensure that the aggravation of the disease is slowed down. As such, checking the health and glucose levels in such people is an important part of managing diabetes. Exercise may play a role in the management of diabetes (Pal 2011). This means that people must ensure that they are physically active as this would improve their health. Broadly, reducing the effects of the disease would also lead to improvement in health and reduction in costs associated with the disease. Considering the financial impact of the disease, reducing cost should be a major goal of the diabetic patient. Lifestyle changes are an important part of managing the disease and hence it is important to understand which lifestyle changes would have the best impact on the person. People suffering from the disease should also be trained on self management techniques. This would impact their lives positively as it would enable them create a positive attitude towards the disease in addition to reducing the burden of the disease. Productivity is major issues for people suffering from the disease. This is because they tire quite fast as the body loses a lot of water through frequent urination and sweating. It is, therefore, vital that employers and other people understand the impact of diabetes on the life of a person. This would put such people in a better position to manage the disease. Conclusion Diabetes as a disease has no cure and can only be managed after a person is diagnosed with the disease. As such, lifestyle changes are experienced once a person is diagnosed with the disease. In addition, the disease has a high cost to the victim and to the healthcare industry. The number of people suffering from the disease has been on the rise and this means that the costs of the disease, unless curbed, will continue to rise. The nutritional needs of the patient must be taken care of as such people tend to avoid foods that would increase the level of sugar in the body. Costs arise from injection of insulin into the body for type 1 diabetes. As such, it is important for the victims to understand how to deal with the situation and for the government and other stakeholders to improve and provide resources to people suffering from the disease. This would reduce the cost and other effects that are associated with the disease. References Belsey, J, Pittard, J, Rao, S, Urdahl, H, Jameson, K, & Dixon, T, 2009, Self blood glucose monitoring in type 2 diabetes. A financial impact analysis based on UK primary care, International Journal Of Clinical Practice , 63 (3), 439-48. Brown, S, Perez, A, Yarnell, LM, Pagan, JA, Hanis, CL, Fisher-Hoch, SP, et al, 2011, Diabetes and Employment Productivity: Does Diabetes Management Matter? American Journal of Managed Care , 17 (8), 569-76. Campbell, L, & Rubin, AL, 2011, Diabetes For Dummies, Hoboken, NJ, John Wiley & Sons. Collier, SA, Mulholland, C, Williams, J, Mersereau, P, Turay, K, & Prue, C, 2011, A Qualitative Study of Perceived Barriers to Management of Diabetes Among Women with a History of Diabetes During Pregnancy, Journal of Women's Health , 20 (9), 1333-9. Cunha, JP, 2012, Frequent Urination, Available from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/frequent_urination/article_em.htm [20 February 2012] Greenapple, R, 2011, Review of Strategies to Enhance Outcomes for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Payers' Perspective, American Health & Drug Benefits , 4 (6), 377-86. Hunter, F, 2011, Diet and diabetes. Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/nutrition/dietary_diabetes.shtml [20 February 2012] Mackey, E, Hilliard, M, Berger, S, Streisand, R, Chen, R, & Holmes, C, 2011, Individual and Family Strengths : An Examination of the Relation to Disease Management and Metabolic Control in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes, Families, Systems, & Health , 29 (4), 314-326. Pal, G, 2011, Understanding the Importance of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load in the Management of Diabetes Mellitus, Al Ameen Journal of Medical Sciences , 4 (2), 100-3. Stetson, B, Schlundt, D, Peyrot, M, Ciechanowski, P, Austin, MM, Young-Hyman, D, et al, 2011, Monitoring in Diabetes Self-Management: Issues and Recommendations for Improvement, Population Health Management , 14 (4), 189-97. Read More