KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsNeb. officials hope to draw attention to diabetes
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Associated Press - November 28, 2009 9:05 AM ET
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - State health officials estimate 104,000 adult Nebraskans have been diagnosed with diabetes, with 250,000 undiagnosed.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is hoping to draw attention to the disease.
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder of the pancreas, which can lead to serious medical complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and blindness.
The state's chief medical officer, Dr. Joann Schaefer, says one in four Nebraskans is obese, which is a serious concern. She says obesity is often a precursor to diabetes.
The U.S. medical cost of diabetes was $116 billion in 2007. In Nebraska, the medical and indirect costs of diabetes are more than $750 million a year.
On the Net:
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/
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