Type 2 diabetes used to be referred to as adult onset diabetes until children began exhibiting these signs due to growing obesity problems. It is now more frequently referred to as lifestyle diabetes. This growing concern has exploded across America, affecting huge groups of the population, but particularly affecting groups of African Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Latinos. As a result, Americans have been exhibiting increased injuries allegedly due to treatments of this disease.
The Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
When a person exhibits symptoms of type 2 diabetes, it is the body signalling that it is not producing enough insulin or that the body has become resistant to insulin. Insulin is used by the body to use glucose as energy. When a person eats and cannot use the sugars in foods for energy, they start to exhibit troubling symptoms and complications which can worsen over time.
Complications and health problems often associated with Type 2 diabetes include the following:
- cataracts
- neuropathy, numbness of the feet
- skin infections
- hypertension, high blood pressure
- heart disease
- hearing loss
- depression
- loss of circulation, which can necessitate amputation
The Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Often, unless a patient is willing to make significant lifestyle changes, they are forced to take what can be risky medications. One such medication is Actos, which has come under fire from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has declared patients who take Actos could be at an additional 40% increase in risk of bladder cancer. This warning was based on thousands of reports from consumers who claimed that as a result of taking Actos, they became injured and developed bladder cancer.
Actos was initially marketed as a safer alternative to Avandia, which has previously been linked to rising reports of heart attacks and other heart problems. However, despite being marketed as a safer alternative, thousands of Americans began to report injuries to their doctors and the FDA. As a result, these patients have begun to file lawsuits, which are now under multidistrict litigation. To date, over 1,000 patients have filed suit alleging taking Actos injured them and gave them bladder cancer.
If you have been injured as the result of taking your Type 2 diabetes medication, Actos, you could possibly be entitled to compensation for your injuries. You should speak to a skilled product liability attorney to determine whether or not you have a case. Protect your health and speak with a product liability attorney so you can ensure you get the help you need.
