Medicine is extending lives, but not for diabetic women

Robert Binstock

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Advances in medical care over the last three decades have reduced heart disease and extended lives, but not for women with diabetes.

For men and non-diabetic women, death rates from 1971 to 2000 dropped significantly, but no decline was seen for women with diabetes, a new analysis of federal data finds.

It was found that heart disease for everyone but for women with diabetes, steadily declined. The gap in death rates for all causes between women with diabetes and those without it more than doubled. According to cardiologist Nanette Wenger, diabetic women who have heart disease are less likely to get aggressive treatment than men. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the USA, and "we've known for years that women with heart disease don't do as well as their male counterparts," Wenger says. Women with diabetes need much more attention then they are actually getting.

The increase in obesity is a big problem and one of the main reasons for heart disease. Another problem is that this obesity is starting at such a young age, especially in America. Women are strongly encouraged to go straight to their doctors if they are found to have diabetes. Unfortunately, people seem to be worse off than many years go. This issue continues to be addressed.