For Healthcare Professionals

Diabetes Facts

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both.
There are three main types of Diabetes:
- Type 1, most prevalent with children and young adults, develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. People with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump.
- Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it.
- Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed during pregnancy. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to normalize maternal blood glucose levels to avoid complications in the infant.
Prediabetes also exists, a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
The disease can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and may even lead to lower-extremity amputations.

Diabetes affects nearly 24 million people in the United States (8% of the population), an increase of more than 3 million since 2005.
17.9 million people have been diagnosed, with 1.6 million new cases diagnosed in 2007.
Approximately 5.7 million people are unaware they have the disease.
Another 57 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes.
Diabetes increased over the last two years in both adult men and women and in all age groups, but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007.
Diabetes occurs in people of all ages and races, with the rate of diagnosed diabetes highest among Native Americans and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent), followed by African Americans (11.8 percent), Hispanics (10.4 percent) which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans (8.2 percent).
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., though it is likely to be underreported as a cause of death.

People with diabetes, their support network, and their health care providers can lower the occurrence of diabetes complications by controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids, and by receiving other preventive care practices in a timely manner.
Self-management education or training is a key step in improving health outcomes and quality of life. Self-care behaviors, such as healthy eating, being active, and monitoring blood sugar, in combination with the appropriate medical treatment may help people with or at risk for diabetes improve their lifestyle and manage the disease.
For those with prediabetes, losing weight and increasing physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and return blood glucose levels to normal.

Source - Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet

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