Manitoba faces highest rate of diabetes among Prairie provinces
Canadian Diabetes Association Releases Manitoba Diabetes Cost Model Report
Winnipeg, Feb. 9 – Today, the Canadian Diabetes Association released the findings from its Manitoba Diabetes Cost Model, forecasting a 48 per cent increase in diabetes diagnoses in Manitoba. Findings indicate that the province currently experiences the highest rate of diabetes in the Prairies and without action, the cost and prevalence of diabetes in the province will continue to increase substantially over the next 10 years.”The economic burden of diabetes in Manitoba is serious and threatens the sustainability of our healthcare system and the provincial economy,” said Michael Cloutier, President and CEO, Canadian Diabetes Association. “It’s estimated the direct and indirect financial impact of diabetes in Manitoba currently costs the province $498 million per year. By 2020, these costs could increase to $639 million per year if we don’t take action.” Manitobans living with diabetes also face the highest level of out-of-pocket expenditure in the country outside of the Atlantic provinces, averaging over $2,500 per year.
The economic burden of diabetes represents only a part of Manitoba’s challenge. The human cost of the disease is also reaching epidemic proportions in the province. The Manitoba Diabetes Cost Model estimates that there are currently 94,000 people, or 7.6 per cent of the population, diagnosed with diabetes in Manitoba – increasing to more than 139,000 people, or 10 per cent of the population, by 2020. When you add the number of people living with prediabetes, where blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for an individual to be diagnosed with the disease, it is estimated that 25.2% of the population of Manitoba will be living with diabetes or prediabetes by the end of the decade.
“The fact that 1 in 4 Manitobans will be living either with diabetes or prediabetes by 2020 represents a significant threat to the future prosperity of the province,” said Cloutier. “Therefore, turning the tide against diabetes will require a shift in government approach, private sector involvement and broad-based personal and societal change.”
In order to offset the burden caused by diabetes, the Canadian Diabetes Association has recommended that the Manitoba government adjust its current diabetes strategy to reflect a broad-based secondary prevention strategy including greater access to diabetes medications, devices and supplies in order to prevent or delay costly diabetes complications, and increased access to the medical specialists required to help manage the disease.
The Manitoba Diabetes Cost Model will be addressed today between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. during a Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Reception hosted by the Canadian Diabetes Association with President and CEO, Michael Cloutier, in the Private Dining Room of the Manitoba Legislature, 450 Broadway Avenue.
Diabetes cost models have also been released for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
About the Manitoba Diabetes Cost Model
The Manitoba Diabetes Cost Model was created for the Association by the Centre for Spatial Economics based on the Canadian Diabetes Cost Model developed by Informetrica Limited and made possible by an unrestricted educational grant provided by Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. The two main sources of data used for the estimate and forecasts come from the National Diabetes Surveillance System (NDSS) and Health Canada’s study titled the Economic Burden of Illness in Canada (EBIC). The Model aimed to integrate the administrative prevalence and incidence estimates from NDSS with the economic cost estimates from EBIC.
The Model supports analysis of the sensitivity of the prevalence and cost estimates to changes in demographic data, incidence and mortality rates by age and sex, and the average annual number of net general practitioner and specialist visits by people with diabetes. Assumptions made in this model are conservative and may understate the prevalence and cost of diabetes in the future, rather than to overstate it.
About the Canadian Diabetes Association
Today, more than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes. Across the country, the Canadian Diabetes Association is leading the fight against diabetes by helping people with diabetes live healthy lives while we work to find a cure. Our community-based network of supporters help us provide education and services to people living with diabetes, advocate for our cause, break ground towards a cure and translate research into practical applications. For more information, please visit diabetes.ca or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).
For further information:
For additional information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Allison Langridge
Canadian Diabetes Association, Manitoba, Saskatchewan & Nunavut
allison.langridge@diabetes.ca
Office: 204-925-3800 x 231
Cell: 204-230-5626
