CDC: Diabetic women more likely to be poor, undereducated

ATLANTA - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says women with diabetes are twice as likely to be poor or undereducated than women without the blood-sugar disease. <br> <br> The CDC said Thursday that the findings suggest that more educated women make better decisions about their personal health, and that higher income means access to better medical care. <br> <br> About 28 percent of women with diabetes failed to complete high school, compared with just 12 percent of women without the disease. The figures were contained in a random nationwide telephone survey conducted in 2000. <br> <br> The CDC study said about 40 percent of diabetic women make less than $25,000 a year, compared with 22 percent of women without diabetes. <br> <br> The study&#39;s authors urged more research to find out the exact impact of poverty and education on women with diabetes. The disease, which has been linked to obesity, can lead to blindness, limb amputation and in some cases death. <br> <br> Women account for about 52 percent of diabetes cases in adults. The disease kills about 180,000 Americans each year.