The Diabetes Education department at University Hospital and Clinics in Lafayette marked World Diabetes Day on Monday. Snacks, product samples and health information was on full display for patients and physicians at UHC. According to the America Diabetes Association, Louisiana is home 521,294 residents with diabetes- that's 13.9% of the adult population.Of these, an estimated 124,000 have diabetes, but don’t know it.

People with diabetes have medical expenses approximately 2.3 times higher than those who do not have diabetes. Total direct medical expenses for diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes, prediabetes and gestational diabetes in Louisiana was estimated at $4.1 billion in 2012. In addition, another $1.3 billion was spent on indirect costs from lost productivity due to diabetes.

 

 

 

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