Diabetes is
a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose (blood sugar). When a
person has diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin or is
unable to use its own insulin effectively.
- Type 1 – Affects 5 percent of people with diabetes. There is no know prevention and
usually affects children/young adults.
- Type 2 – Affects 95 percent of people with diabetes. Healthy eating, regular physical activity and medication if
prescribed can prevent or delay onset of Type 2 diabetes. It is usually diagnosed later in life, but is
now being found in children and young adults.
- Gestational – Affects 2-10 percent of pregnant women and leads to a higher risk for Type 2 diabetes.
- Minorities are at higher risk.
- Diabetes can lead to complications, such as heart disease, stroke, vision
loss, kidney failure, and amputations of legs or feet.
Here are just a few of the recent statistics
on diabetes:
- Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United
States have diabetes.
- Another 79 million Americans have prediabetes and are
at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
- The American Diabetes Association estimates that the
total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $174
billion per year.
- The cost of caring for someone with diabetes is $1 out
of every $5 in total healthcare costs.
