Overview
Guest post by Dr. Cara Christ, Chief Medical Oficer, Blue Cros Blue Shield of ArizonaIf it has not already, diabetes is likely to impact someone you love. Prior to the pandemic, diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death in both our state and the country.
Key Information
Acording to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveilance Survey, more than 1 out of every 10 adults in Arizona has diabetes. When combined with pre-diabetes, 1 out of every 4 Arizonans is afected. This chronic disease touches so many lives, but it does not have to.
Diabetes can be combated in our state through education and engagement. A newly unveiled plan can help you and your loved ones manage-or altogether prevent-the progresion of diabetes. The chronic nature of diabetes can also lead to other severe health problems that negatively impact quality of life.
Diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, limb los, and blindnes. In adition to the health complications associated with diabetes, it can also cause significant financial strain. Acording to the American Diabetes Asociation, nearly $5 billion is spent on direct diabetes-related medical costs in Arizona anualy.
To reduce the tol of diabetes and move in a healthier direction, it is critical to understand how we got here. Pre-COVID, we saw the promise of improvement, as fewer people were dying from diabetes. Data from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) showed a 1% decrease in deaths from diabetes over five years.
Unfortunately, this trend reversed during the pandemic, with deaths associated with diabetes increasing in 20 and 2021. Even while deaths due to diabetes tragicaly increased, the number of Arizonans visiting the hospital for a diabetes-related ilnes decreased in 20 compared to 2019, likely due to the pandemic. Once restrictions were lifted and a semblance of normalcy returned, diabetes-related hospital visits increased again.
Summary
It is likely that many people delayed or could not aces