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FACT: 17 million people – 6.2% of the population – have diabetes.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death in America and costs the nation nearly $100 billion a year.
Unless we can find a way to stem the tide, over 10% of the adult population will have diabetes by 2010. Seventeen million Americans are currently living with this disease, 35% of whom have not yet been diagnosed.* That's the bad news.
There is some good news: we know a lot about how to help patients reduce their risk for the macro and micro vascular complications of this disease. But this good news is balanced by the reality that the majority of patients have not achieved these evidence-based metabolic control goals.
The Bottom Line: Achieving Diabetes Treatment Goals is a case-based newsletter designed to help primary care physicians incorporate what we know about risk reduction and management of macro and micro vascular complications into their practice. Each issue will feature a case drawn from practical experiences to expose the clinical approach used in achieving treatment targets. You will find resource materials, suggestions for management, reminders of treatment recommendations, and practice pearls that may help overcome systemic barriers to providing the best possible care.
We welcome you to The Bottom Line, and hope you find the materials useful in your work. Please feel free to contact us (derek.warnick@jefferson.edu) with any questions or comments that you may have.
*source: , retrieved March 21, 2003
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