- There are 17.0
million people in the United States, or 6.2% of the population, who have
diabetes.
- An estimated 11.1
million have been diagnosed, unfortunately,
-
5.9 million
people are not aware that they have the disease.
- Each day
approximately 2,740 people are diagnosed with diabetes. About 1 million
people will be diagnosed this year.
- Diabetes is the
fifth-deadliest disease in the United States.
- Based on death
certificate data, diabetes contributed to 209,664 deaths in
1999.
- Diabetes is a chronic
disease that
has no cure.
____________________________________
- Diabetes is a disease in which the body
does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to
convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
The cause of diabetes is a mystery, although both genetics and
environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play
roles. There are two major types of diabetes:
- Type 1
An autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin,
most often occurring in children and young adults. People with type 1
diabetes must take daily insulin injections to stay alive. Type 1
diabetes accounts for 5-10 percent of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1
diabetes include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors.
- Type 2
A metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough,
or properly use, insulin. It is the most common form of the disease,
accounting for 90-95 percent of diabetes. This form of the disease is
associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior
history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical
inactivity, and race/ethnicity. Type 2 diabetes is nearing epidemic
proportions, due to an increased number of older Americans and a greater
prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles, and it is increasingly
being diagnosed in children and adolescents. Often people with Type 2
Diabetes have no symptoms
-
Gestational Diabetes
Develops in 2 -5 percent of all pregnancies but disappears when a
pregnancy is over. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at
increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. After
pregnancy, 5-10% of women with gestational diabetes are found to have
type 2 diabetes, and women who have had gestational diabetes have a
20-50% chance of developing diabetes in the next 5-10 years.
- "Other
specific types"
of diabetes result from specific genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs,
malnutrition, infections, and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes
may account for five percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
- Impaired Glucose Tolerance and
Impaired Fasting Glucose
- Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and
impaired fasting glucose (IFG) define a condition known as "pre-diabetes,"
and studies suggest they may be reversible.
- IGT is a condition in which the
blood sugar level is elevated (140-190 mg/dl in a 2-hour oral glucose
tolerance test) but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
- IFG is a condition in which the
fasting blood sugar level is elevated (110-125 mg/dl after an
overnight fast) but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
- Among U.S. adults 40-74 years of
age, 16.0 million (15.6%) have IGT and 10.0 million (9.7%) have IFG.
Diabetes is a Silent
Killer
Heart Disease
and Stroke
Cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) is the leading cause of
death for people with diabetes. People with diabetes are 2 to 4
times more likely to have heart disease, which is present in 75
percent of diabetes-related deaths (more than 77,000 deaths due to heart
disease annually). And, they are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer
a stroke. People with diabetes have the same cardiovascular risk
as if they have already had a heart attack. Smoking doubles
the cardiovascular risk for people with diabetes.
Blindness
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages
20-74. Each year, from 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their sight because of
diabetes.
Kidney Disease
Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (kidney
failure), accounting for about 43% of new cases. In 1999,
38,160 people with diabetes initiated treatment for end stage renal
disease and 114,478 people with diabetes underwent
dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Nerve Disease
and Amputations
About 60-70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of
diabetes-related nerve damage, which, in severe forms, can lead to lower
limb amputations. In fact, diabetes is the most frequent cause of
non-traumatic lower limb amputations. The risk of a leg amputation
is 15-40 times greater for a person with diabetes. Each year, more
than 80,000 amputations are performed among people with diabetes.
Direct and Indirect Costs
of Diabetes
The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132
billion. That includes $91.8 billion in direct medical and treatment costs
and $39.8 billion for indirect costs attributed to disability and mortality.
- The per capita annual costs of health
care for people with diabetes rose from $10,071 in 1997 to $13,243 in
2002, an increase of more than 30 percent.
One out of every 10 health care dollars is spent on diabetes and its
complications.
Who is at Greater Risk
for Type 1 Diabetes?
- Siblings of people with type 1 diabetes
Children of parents with type 1 diabetes
Who is at Greater Risk
for Type 2 Diabetes?
People with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)
and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG)
People over age 45
People with a family history of diabetes
People who are overweight
People who do not exercise regularly
People with low HDL
cholesterol or high triglycerides, high blood pressure
Certain racial and ethnic groups (e.g.,
African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian & Pacific Islanders, and Native
Americans)
Women who had gestational diabetes, a form
of diabetes occurring in 2-5 percent of all pregnancies, or who have had a
baby weighing 9 pounds or more at birth
Type 2 diabetes is more common among these
ethnic groups:
- African
Americans Are 2 times as likely to have type 2 diabetes
as the general population. An estimated 2.8 million African Americans, or
13.0%, have diabetes.
-
Hispanics/Latinos Hispanics/Latinos are 1.9 times as
likely to have type 2 diabetes. For example, diabetes affects 2.0 million
or 10.2% of the Mexican American population.
- Native
Americans Overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Native
Americans is 15.1%. On average, Native Americans and Alaska Natives are
2.6 times as likely to have diabetes as the general population. In some
tribes, 50% of the population has diabetes.
Warning Signs of Diabetes
Type 1
- Frequent urination
- Unusual thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Unusual weight loss
- Extreme fatigue
- Irritability
Type 2
- Any of the type 1 symptoms
- Frequent infections
- Blurred vision
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Tingling/numbness in the hands or feet
- Recurring skin, gum or bladder
infections
Ocular Complications
Diabetes is associated with ocular
complications such as cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. The
most common of these ocular problems is diabetic retinopathy, which causes
85 percent of all blindness in diabetic patients, and is the leading cause
of legal blindness in persons under 60 years of age in the U.S. Diabetic
retinopathy is the deterioration of the small blood vessels inside the eye.
Most people who have had diabetes for more than ten years have had some eye
damage. However, keeping blood sugar and blood pressure levels close to
normal helps prevent serious eye damage. Laser treatments can be used to
treat damaged blood vessels and may help to prevent blindness. Eye damage
has no symptoms in the early, most treatable stages. Therefore, it is
essential that every diabetic patient have a thorough eye exam every year.
Early detection is the key to preventing blindness due to diabetes. |
