Researchers have known that having diabetes raises a person's risk of dying, but now there is a simple tool to calculate which diabetic patients are at the greatest risk.
The state of Texas has more than its share of the diabetes epidemic. An estimated 9.7% of Texans have diabetes -- the national average is 8.3%, according to the American Diabetes Association.
A new calculator for patients with type 2 diabetes places patients into low, medium, or high risk of dying from any cause within two years. Researchers from Italy developed the tool, which uses values such as age, body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol to help a physician determine whether someone is at a high risk of dying.
According to Medscape News, the doctors say the calculator will help physicians make decisions on which patients should be more closely monitored and which ones are candidates for more aggressive treatments.
