Diabetes Facts
Every 21 seconds, another person in the United States is diagnosed with diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death in the country. The American Diabetes Association provides the following facts:
- Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.
- Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. An estimated 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance, a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin, combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases in the United States each year.
- Pre-diabetes is a condition in which a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 20.8 million with diabetes.
- Some diabetes symptoms include:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Unusual weight loss
- Increased fatigue
- Irritability
- Blurry vision
- Diabetes is a major contributor of deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke, the top three causes of death in the U.S.
- Complications from diabetes include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease and amputations, among others. Many people are unaware that they have diabetes until they develop one of these complications.
- Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke, and cancer have declined.
For more information, visit www.diabetes.org.