¶ … 2012, 1.5 million lives were lost to diabetes globally. It ranked eighth among the causes of deaths across both sexes and fifth among women (WHO, 2016). Higher than optimal glucose levels, even those that fall below diabetes diagnostic threshold, is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Diabetes' diagnostic criterion is fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L which is a diagnostic point chosen because of micro-vascular issues such as diabetes retinotherapy. The likelihood of having a macro-vascular disease such as stroke or a heart attack begins to increase even before this point is reached (Bellamy, Casas, Hingorani & Williams, 2009). To comprehend the impact blood glucose levels can have on mortality, one ought to view blood glucose related mortality as a risk factor. The total lives that were lost to high blood glucose levels in 2012 have been estimated to be about 3.7 million. The number includes those that can be directly attributed to diabetes which stand at 1.5 million. The remaining 2.2 million deaths are derived from various complications such as chronic kidney disease, tuberculosis and cardiovascular diseases associated with blood glucose levels that are higher than optimal (WHO, 2016). Countries that are Faring better or Worse than Others

Mortality rates due to high blood glucose levels vary greatly across WHO regions. The highest rates in WHO regions are in the African, South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions (WHO, 2016). Rates also vary by gender where the WHO South East Asia and European regions record higher mortality rates for women than men. The period between...

The rise in number of deaths due to high blood glucose was highest in WHO Western Pacific Region. In the WHO Western Pacific Region, the combined number of mortalities due to high blood glucose for the period rose to 944,000 from 490,000 (WHO, 2016).
It was estimated that the WHO Western Pacific and the South-East Asia Regions accounted for nearly half of the world's diabetes cases. Globally, there has been a significant increase in the number of people with diabetes since 1980 when there were 108 million people with diabetes to the current position where the number has nearly quadrupled. The region that has recorded the highest increase has been the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, which now has a prevalence of 13.7%, the highest in the world (WHO, 2016).

How the U.S. Ranks on this Issue in Relation to Other Countries

Diabetes is still one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. It currently ranks 7th. Case in point, in 2010, 69,071 death certificates directly listed diabetes as the underlying cause of death while, in total, 234,051 death certificates listed it as either a contributing or an underlying cause (ADA, n.d.). It is estimated that around 208,000 Americans below the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes; this is about 0.25% of the U.S. population (ADA, n.d.). It was estimated in 2008-2009 that the annual incidence of diagnosed diabetes among the youth was 19,436 for type 1 diabetes and 5,089 for type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that more deaths may be caused by diabetes than is being reported. Studies have revealed that between 35% and 40% of individuals with diabetes and had passed away had their death certificates indicating that diabetes was a cause while…