January 18, 2016 – Diabetes Drop

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Anchor lead: Good news from the CDC on the number of Americans newly diagnosed with diabetes, Elizabeth Tracey reports

New cases of diabetes are occurring at reduced numbers, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have revealed. Rita Kalyani, a diabetes expert at Johns Hopkins, interprets the observation.

Kalyani:  The latest statistics from the CDC were certainly very encouraging that the number of people with diabetes has gone down significantly compared to 2008. Perhaps we’ve overcome the peak but we still have a ways to go to continue to see the trend in downward numbers of people with diabetes.  These data don’t reflect the total number of people with diabetes, only the number of new people with diabetes, so as people live longer with this disease we need to also keep in mind what is the overall burden of the disease, and it continues to underscore the importance of prevention and treatment efforts for this chronic illness.   :33

Kalyani says those at risk, including people who are overweight and obese, and those with a family history of diabetes, should remain vigilant and take steps to reduce their risk of developing the condition.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.