Diabetes deaths fall to lowest levels in years, in early CDC figures

Diabetes deaths successful the U.S. person fallen to immoderate of the lowest rates successful years, according to caller preliminary figures published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reversing a surge successful mortality that was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were 26.4 deaths per 100,000 radical from diabetes, according to aboriginal decease certificate data for the 3rd 4th of 2024 published this period by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. 

Death rates from diabetes peaked successful 2021, according to CDC figures, astatine 31.1 deaths per 100,000 radical for that year. Diabetes was the eighth starring cause of death successful 2021. The CDC says the nexus betwixt COVID-19 and diabetes whitethorn beryllium to blasted for that increase. 

"Data amusement an summation successful mortality rates for each radical during the COVID-19 pandemic, and probe shows that radical with underlying conditions, including diabetes, are much apt to go precise sick from COVID-19 and person a higher hazard of hospitalization and death," Christopher Holliday, caput of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, told CBS News successful a statement.

Holliday added that probe shows the pandemic whitethorn besides person made it harder for Americans to decently negociate the disease, ranging from interruptions to carnal enactment to disruptions to regular aesculapian attraction diagnosing and treating the disease.

"While diabetes-related decease rates person decreased since 2021, they person not returned to pre-pandemic levels," Holliday said.

There were 103,294 deaths from diabetes successful 2021, up much than 17% from 87,647 deaths successful 2019 earlier the pandemic. Provisional data reported truthful acold for 2024 person tallied 94,294 diabetes deaths past year.

Diabetes deaths had been mostly falling successful caller years earlier the COVID-19 pandemic, contempt an summation successful the prevalence of the disease. Those trends were earlier the instauration of caller diabetes treatments similar Ozempic and Mounjaro that person seen high demand.

Nearly 1 successful 10 adults had diagnosed diabetes in 2023, according to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey.

Experts caution that analyzing agelong word trends successful diabetes deaths is analyzable for a fig of reasons, including changes successful the explanation of the illness implicit the past decades and saltation successful however decease certificates grounds diabetes deaths.

Also, not each decease certificates grounds diabetes arsenic the main "underlying origin of death" but alternatively arsenic a contributing factor, which is counted separately. 

"Diabetes is simply a much communal contributing origin of death, not the superior underlying origin of death. Furthermore, astir deaths among radical with diabetes are cardiovascular and would beryllium counted among the cardiovascular," Elizabeth Selvin, manager of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, said successful an email to CBS News.

Selvin said it is up to doctors to take whether to prime diabetes oregon different underlying wellness conditions arsenic the origin of a bosom onslaught death.

"All of this to say, trends successful underlying causes of decease volition bespeak consciousness of diabetes and coding practices; It is hard to cognize what relation these play successful these data," Selvin said.

In:
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Diabetes
• COVID-19