From Our Readers

Type 2 Diabetes
I really enjoyed reading your premier issue. Lots of inspiring stories and information. I especially enjoyed Colin Portnuff’s article and want to know the origin of a statistic he used in his story. The statistic I’m referring to is the one where 40% of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes die within 10 years.

My husband has Type 2 diabetes, and when I read it to him, he was shocked. We both wanted to know more. Did the statistic refer to people who hadn’t treated their disease at all? Do you know what organization conducted the study? And how many people were included in the study?
Any help you can give me in trying to track this information down would be very helpful.
Holly Paige
Portland, OR

Holly:
It is actually quite difficult to come up with precise estimates of mortality for people with diabetes. A great deal depends on age (naturally older people have a shorter life expectancy than younger people with or without diabetes). In general, at any age, people with diabetes have a mortality rate about twice that of those who do not have diabetes. There is some suggestion that improved diabetes care can improve this excess mortality associated with diabetes. It has been estimated that Type 2 diabetes is associated with a reduction of life expectancy of 5 to 10 years in middle-aged people.

However it is important to remember that most people with Type 2 diabetes do not have diabetes alone, most also have high blood pressure, elevated blood lipid levels, are overweight, and often also have coronary artery disease, all of which are aassociated with reduced life expectancy. Heart disease is by far the most common cause of death in people with diabetes, and recent research studies have shown that use of ACE-inhibitor blood pressure medications, statin cholesterol lowering medications, and aspirin can slow development of heart disease in people with diabetes.

This makes me optimistic that the excess mortality risk associated with diabetes can be favorably influenced by improved care. We have shown in our population of people with diabetes a trend towards improved survival over the course of 10 years. (Brown JB, Nichols GA and Glauber HS case-control study of 10 years of comprehensive diabetes care. Western Journal of Medicine 2000; 172:85-90.)

A thorough discussion of mortality in diabetes mellitus can be found in “Diabetes in America,” 2nd edition, 1995, published by the National Institutes of Health, and available on line at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/america/contents.htm

Harry Glauber, MD
Department of Endocrinology
Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center
Clackamas, OR

Premier Issue
I just wanted the publishers to know that I really enjoyed your magazine and look forward to the next publication. Your articles were easy to read and understand and very informative. I have looked up and enjoyed several of the web sites of some of your writers.
Diane Loftis
Portland,OR

I was waiting for my son at basketball practice and picked up a copy of your first magazine and loved it! I am an avid walker, and have never found a magazine that was only about walking. Every article in the magazine was great and your magazine is just the perfect size. Will it be available by subscription?
Thanks and keep writing — I'm looking forward to the next issue!
Janie
Tigard, OR

From the Publishers
We welcome our reader’s input. You can subscribe to Walk About magazine for $12.95 a year to cover shipping and handling. To subscribe, send a check or money order to Walk About magazine, 4823 NE 21st Ave., Portland, OR 97211.
Pam, Susie, and Allyson