Type 2 Diabetes Mortality Rate in Decline

06/04/08 Type II Diabetes

A 10-year study in Great Britain holds promise for type 2 diabetics who adhere to their medication regimen. Patients taking drugs to lower their cholesterol and high blood pressure, as well as their glucose control prescriptions, showed a significant drop in death rate from those who did not take the medications. 

The research involving 38,570 men and women, to be published in Diabetes Care in June, found a 47.9 percent mortality rate in the first 24 months following diabetes diagnosis among men who were not on those other drugs. Ten years later, they found only a 25.2 percent death rate in the first 24 months after diagnosis. However, those men were taking medication for the treatment of hypertension and high cholesterol. Women too had significant reduction, although not quite so dramatic with 37.4 and 27.6 respectively. It needs to be noted that the medication regimens leading to the successful drop in death from all causes in these type 2 diabetics was initiated within the first 12 months of diagnosis.

It’s easy to see what the study demonstrates: take your medicine or don’t be around to tell the tale. Diabetes is a disease that has a significant impact on the small vessels. They become brittle and can harden. High lipids like cholesterol compound the problem by leaving plaque on vessel walls. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, causes vessel damage and impacts the kidneys and often the heart. Reducing the impact of diabetes will improve the likelihood of living longer. All too often, diabetics do not take their appropriate medication. It’s too important to be cavalier. It’s time to decide on your quality of life—and whether or not you will have one.

Corie Richter is a nurse and physician's assistant who started her career as a health educator. The survivor of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and partially successful quadruple bypass surgery, she did not let her health challenges hamper her. Neither the limitations of spinal surgery nor of diabetes have deterred her from a mission of service. She now encourages others through writing and speaking engagements to master their disabilities through education and a proactive attitude.