World Growth In Diabetes

[seacomp]

New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/health/11diabetes.html

In some of the world’s poorest nations, the disease is a quick death sentence. While Americans can live for many years with the disease, a person in Mozambique who requires injections of insulin can expect to live just a year

[Penny]

I read that in our local newspaper. But I think any disease in some of these "developing" countries is a death sentence. I was just discussing this with a family member, years ago there were family members who died young(er), because they could not afford the medications or treatments for diabetes, cancer or heart disease. I remember my grandmother suffering greatly from chronic pluersy (sp), and just not being able to afford the doctor and medicine that could have helped her. As a child from a large family, I was seldom taken to a doctor or dentist. My stepfather died of diabetic related diseases, and was never treated for his diabetes, of course he did not follow the diet and exercise advice he did get. This is hard to imagine in this day, when even the poorest of us has medical care available.

[doozio]

well we need to be reminded of what a luxury it is to live here. We take it for granted.

[seacomp]

It is also a luxury to live now. Less than 100 years ago, before insulin and the other treatments that followed, a DX of diabetes, whether type 1 or 2, was a death sentence.