Incidence of double diabetes rising in America

AORN Journal, Feb, 2007

Physicians are noting an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, a condition referred to as double or hybrid diabetes, according to a Dec 3, 2006, article from HealthDay News. Double diabetes may be occurring because patients with type 1 diabetes are taking insulin but have not made other necessary lifestyle changes.

It is estimated that 20.8 million Americans (ie, 7% of the population) have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which a person's body does not produce insulin, the hormone required to transport glucose from the blood to the cells. An estimated 5% to 10% of Americans with diabetes have type 1 diabetes, and their treatment includes insulin replacement. Type 2 diabetes is a condition of insulin resistance, in which a person's body is unable to properly use the insulin that it produces. This more common form of diabetes is linked to excess weight and lack of exercise and can be controlled by diet, exercise, medications, and blood sugar monitoring. Both types of diabetes can cause many serious health complications, including

* heart disease and stroke,

* diseases of the nervous system,

* high brood pressure,

* blindness,

* lower limb amputations,

* dental disease, and

* complications during pregnancy.

Patients with double diabetes are more difficult to treat because they require insulin replacement as well as medications to allow the body to use the insulin. Physicians must monitor these patients' responses to the medication regimen more closely to ensure adequate control of the disease.

The best way to prevent the complications of type 2 diabetes is to avoid contracting the disease. A recent study showed that patients on the verge of contracting type 2 diabetes successfully prevented its onset through increased exercise and dietary changes (eg, eating more vegetables, fewer starches, and more lean meat and fish).

'Double Diabetes' a New Threat. HealthDay News. December 3, 2006. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_42085.html. Accessed December 4, 2006.