Despite the commonly held belief that women live longer than men it would seem that a recent CDC study has found evidence to the contrary in the case of people suffering from diabetes.
It has been accepted wisdom for many years now that women live longer than men, but a recent study may well turn this on its head for at least one section of the population - women with diabetes.
There are some 9.7 million women with diabetes in the Unites States today, about thirty percent of whom are not aware that they are suffering from the condition, and studies show that they are just as likely to be recommended for screening tests and to receive treatment for their diabetes as men. Indeed, figures released by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality show that the number of women who are receiving the recommended blood sugar, retinal and foot examinations for diabetes rose between 2000 and 2003 from 37% to 47%, which puts women only just behind men for whom the figure is 49%.
However, although the death rate from diabetes in the case of men is dropping, it is rising in the case of women.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, recently published the results of a survey in which the 30 year health records from 1971 to 2000 of some 27,000 diabetes sufferers were examined. This research study showed that although the death rate amongst men fell during this time period from 4.3% to 2.4%, the death rate amongst women rose from 1.8% to 2.6%. Interestingly, the research study also noted that death rates from cardiovascular disease in particular dropped in the case of men, but remained steady in the case of women.
So what exactly is causing this difference?
The simple answer would appear to be that we don't know, although there are several theories being put forward. Some people believe that the risk factors for heart disease in women have declined less in recent years than they have for men. Others suggest that women have not been receiving as comprehensive a program of treatment as men, or that treatment provided to women has not been as aggressive. At this point this is of course pure speculation but, whatever the cause, there is certainly no doubt that there is a difference in the figures for men and women.
Further studies will need to be carried out to discover why this disparity exists but, until we have further information on the subject, if you are a woman then you should get yourself checked for diabetes, if you have not already done so, and should ensure that your doctor is giving you a comprehensive and aggressive course of treatment.
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