Diabetes complication rate drops as cases rise

Sarah Luke, 73, of Kennesaw, Ga., who was diagnosed with diabetes six years ago, works out as part of a new exercise program at her local YMCA, Friday, April 4, 2014, in Kennesaw, Ga. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

April 17 (Bloomberg) — Improved preventative care for diabetes has cut the rate of serious complications such as heart attack and stroke over the past 20 years while the number of Americans diagnosed with the disease continues to rise, a government report found.

Diagnosed diabetes cases tripled to 20.7 million in 2010 from 6.5 million in 1990, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The jump in diagnoses resulted in more people suffering from complications despite the rate reduction, said Linda Geiss, one of the study authors.