Are You at Risk for Diabetes?
Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (released Jan. 26, 2011) by the American Diabetes Association
Total prevalence of diabetes
- Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.
- Diagnosed: 18.8 million people
- Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people
- New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.
- Men: 10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people in this age group have diabetes
- Women: 13.0 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes
In 2007, diabetes was listed as the underlying cause on 71,382 death certificates and was listed as a contributing factor on an additional 160,022 death certificates. This means that diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths.
Complications
- Heart disease: Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
- Stroke: The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.
- High blood pressure: In 2005-2008, of adults aged 20 years or older with self-reported diabetes, 67% had blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg or used prescription medications for hypertension.
- Blindness: Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.
- Kidney Failure: Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2008.
- Amputation: More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
- In 2006, about 65,700 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.
Factoring in the additional costs of undiagnosed diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes brings the total cost of diabetes in the United States in 2007 to $218 billion.
$18 billion for people with undiagnosed diabetes
$25 billion for American adults with prediabetes
$623 million for gestational diabetes
Source: The American Diabetes Association, try their online risk test.
