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Today is World Diabetes Day, which presents an important occasion to consider the connections between the disease, workplace wellness and personal health. We've reported on this frequently, including here, here and here.

Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported in April that “the global cost of diabetes is now 825 billion dollars per year, according to the largest ever study of diabetes levels across the world.” It added that “In the US in 2014, 8.2% of men and 6.4% of women had diabetes… The number of US men with diabetes has increased by more than two thirds since 1980, when 4.7% had the disease. Among women in 1980, 4.3% had diabetes.”

Further, the American Diabetes Association said in its 2103 report Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. that “the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 is $245 billion, including $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in reduced productivity. The largest components of medical expenditures are:

• hospital inpatient care (43% of the total medical cost),
• prescription medications to treat complications of diabetes (18%),
• anti-diabetic agents and diabetes supplies (12%),
• physician office visits (9%), and
• nursing/residential facility stays (8%).

The International Diabetes Foundation highlights “the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications.”

It states that “screening for type 2 diabetes is important to modify its course and reduce the risk of complications.”

• “Many people live with type 2 diabetes for a long period of time without being aware of their condition. By the time of diagnosis, diabetes complications may already be present.”
• “Up to 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, equivalent to up to 160 million cases by 2040.”
• “Of the 415 million adults worldwide living with diabetes in 2015, over one third will develop some form of diabetic retinopathy – a complication of diabetes that can lead to vision impairment and blindness.”
• “More than 93 million adults, or one in three, currently living with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy.”
• “The management of diabetes and its complications begins in primary health care and this should include screening for diabetic retinopathy.”
• “Early detection and timely treatment of diabetic retinopathy can prevent vision loss and reduce the impact of diabetes on individuals, their carers and society.”
• “Careful management of diabetes and screening for diabetic eye disease can help prevent visual impairment and blindness.”