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More than 20 million Americans have diabetes — a serious, costly disease that’s on the rise — and more than 220,000 people die each year of diabetes-related complications. Particularly at risk are the 6.2 million Americans who are unaware that they have the disease. Do you know your risk? |
You may not consider yourself a candidate for diabetes. But the odds of being diagnosed with diabetes have increased dramatically in recent years, soaring 61 percent among U.S. adults since 1991. Experts predict similar increases in the next decade and beyond.
Diabetes can cause a host of problems – from heart disease and stroke to blindness, kidney failure, leg and foot amputations, pregnancy complications and deaths related to flu and pneumonia.
What exactly is diabetes, and how do you get it? Simply put, people with diabetes either have an insulin shortage (type 1), or a decreased ability to use insulin (type 2). Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose (sugar) to enter cells and be converted to energy. In uncontrolled diabetes, unconverted glucose and fats remain in the blood and, over time, damage vital organs.
The main types of diabetes are:
- Type 1 diabetes, which accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases, usually appears during childhood or adolescence. It develops when the body’s immune system destroys the only cells that make insulin to regulate blood glucose. People with this form of diabetes need several insulin injections a day or an insulin pump to survive.
- Type 2 diabetes affects 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes, most often after age 40. However, it’s now being found at younger ages, even among children and teens. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a careful diet and exercise program, losing weight and taking oral medications. Among adults with diagnosed diabetes, about 12 percent take both insulin and oral medications, 16 percent take insulin only, 57 percent take oral medications only, and 15 percent do not take either insulin or oral medications. Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes; more than 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight.
Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy. Known as gestational diabetes, this condition affects 2 to 5 percent of all pregnancies. Other less common forms of diabetes result from genetic syndromes, surgery, drugs, malnutrition, infections and other illnesses.
Now the sixth leading cause of death in America, diabetes has the greatest impact on the elderly and certain racial and ethnic groups. One in five adults over age 60 has diabetes. Among adults aged 20 or older, African Americans are 1.8 timesas likely as whites to have type 2 diabetes.
The direct and indirect costs of diabetes are staggering, totaling $132 billion a year. However, the full burden of diabetes is hard to measure. Death records often fail to reflect the role of diabetes, and the costs related to undiagnosed diabetes are unknown.
Despite the rapid rise of the disease, there are actions you can take to delay its progression. Among them: better nutrition, physical activity, controlling blood glucose levels and accessing health services. In fact, modest, consistent physical activity and a healthy diet can cut your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides leadership and funding to diabetes prevention and control programs nationwide and to 8 U.S. territories. CDC also works with many partners to provide data for sound public health decisions, inform the public about diabetes, and ensure good care and education for Americans with diabetes.
The CDC Foundation supports a variety of programs that help CDC protect the public’s health from diseases like diabetes. Learn more about the Foundation’s healthy lifestyle initiatives, or how you can help.