Time to hit the brakes on an epidemic — the deaths of 7 out of 10 Americans

Imagine a deadly epidemic sweeping across the country killing more than a million Americans. Hospital beds and nursing homes are filled with victims. The damage to the U.S. economy surpasses an exorbitant $1 trillion.

This isn’t an exaggerated scene from a movie but the annual impact of chronic disease in the United States — cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease among others.  Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability and death in our country, taking the lives of 7 out of 10 Americans.

But there’s good news: We can stop or significantly control these widespread chronic diseases.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that chronic disease occurs largely as a result of what people do, or don’t do, in their daily lives. Exercise and better eating habits help, as do early disease detection and treatment. The CDC points out that diagnostic tests can detect breast cancer, colon cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions early, when they are most effectively corrected or controlled.

Consider what we would gain by stopping the chronic disease epidemic.

The U.S. spends about $150 billion annually on heart disease, with medical care for heart attacks accounting for $28,000 or more per patient. This is to say nothing of the pain, disruption and loss of work. In 2005 heart disease was the number-one cause of death in Texas alone, claiming the lives of over 40,000 people; yet, many of these problems can be avoided if patients took a basic lipid cholesterol test that costs about $20, roughly the cost of a large pizza.

Consider chronic kidney disease — it costs the U.S. about $42 billion each year. When kidneys fail, dialysis, costing about $60,000 per patient every year, is necessary. A $13.50 test can help detect how well kidneys remove waste from the blood and help avoid dialysis altogether, as well as help improve quality of life by reducing the likelihood of anemia, malnutrition and cardiovascular disease.

Then there is diabetes. It took the lives of 73,000 Americans in 2006 and is the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure in the U.S. For my district, this disease is particularly prevalent. In South Texas, 9 percent of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, a higher percentage than in the rest of Texas and the nation. Diabetes also doubles a patient’s chances of death from heart disease, and, of course, can lead to nerve damage, amputation, dental diseases, and problems in pregnancy, just to name a few. Here again the advice is similar and it includes maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet, as well as controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol. In fact, for every percentage point drop in excess blood glucose levels, patients can reduce the risk of eye, kidney and nerve diseases by 40 percent.

However, the majority of Americans are not monitoring their health as they should.  Studies show that sound, well-established lab tests that are essential in identifying and managing both diabetes and chronic kidney disease are underutilized. A RAND study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that only 24 percent of patients with diabetes received the appropriate number of hemoglobin A1c tests over a two-year period — tests that are essential in managing blood glucose levels. In addition, the NIH reports that most medical practices screen for chronic kidney disease in only 20 percent of their Medicare patients who have diabetes, even though diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.

Many minority groups, including African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans and others are at increased risk both for diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Through my work and the work of so many others, Congress is aware that minorities face this increased risk, and we must take steps to address all who face these problems.

As a nation, we must — and can — bring the chronic disease epidemic under control.  That requires a combination of education, prevention, access for patients and a recognition that good health is one of the most vital elements in improving our standard of living and economic growth.

Just as government and societal institutions worked together to sharply reduce smoking, so can a concerted effort make preventative healthcare a staple of daily life.

Chronic disease is not the kind of epidemic in which we have to close the schools or provide emergency vaccinations. But preparing for and treating chronic disease is a major piece of the puzzle, and it demands action. Chronic disease is here to stay, but we have the tools to make a difference.  

Now it’s up to us.

Rodriguez is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.