By Julie Marks, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you have diabetes, listen up! Your illness may be more dangerous than being obese.
In a new study of more than 15,000 participants, researchers found obesity alone does not increase the risk of developing a serious illness and dying early, but diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) does.
In fact, people with diabetes were three-times more at risk for developing a critical illness and dying young than those who did not have the disease. However, obese people who do not have diabetes had the same risk of dying or being critically ill as non-obese people without diabetes.
Greg S. Martin, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta helped co-author the study. He told Ivanhoe, "The study results show it might not be obesity itself but some of the things that go along with it that contribute to poor outcomes in patients."
However, Dr. Martin emphasized that obesity is a huge health concern and should not be taken lightly. "Obesity contributes to a huge loss in quality of life, how you get around and work and play with your kids It's a huge problem, and in people who are already critically ill, I think obesity would contribute to worse outcomes. Our study only looked at healthy patients."
So what should you do to reduce your risk of severe illness or death if you have diabetes? Dr. Martin says:
- Be vigilant about infection. People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing sepsis -- a life-threatening infection. See your doctor if you're concerned.
- Maintain good blood sugar control. This is the single-most important way you can prevent complications and good health.
Researchers say the results of their study show the relationship between obesity, diabetes and critical illness is complex, and obesity alone does not necessarily predict poor outcomes in healthy people.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Greg S. Martin, M.D., Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, published in Critical Care, Sept. 24, 2006
