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Fast Facts About Diabetes
- 1 million new cases each year in people over age 20 in the U.S.
- One-third of diabetics are undiagnosed.
- In 1999, approximately 450,000deaths occurred among people with diabetes aged 25 years and older. This figure represents about 19 percent of all deaths in the U.S. for people that are 25 years of age or older.
- Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 1999.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20 to 74 years old.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of treated end-stage renal disease, accounting for 43 percent of new cases.
- From 1997 to 1999, 82,000 amputations were performed each year among people with diabetes.
Diabetes is becoming more widespread in the United States each year. Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 17 million people in the United States, 6.2 percent of the population, have diabetes mellitus - a serious, lifelong condition. Of those who are 20 years of age or older, 16.9 million or 8.6% have diabetes. People age 65 years or older account for 7 million cases of diabetes and represent 20.1 percent of all people in this age group. Fully one-third or about 5.9 million people have not yet been diagnosed and 11.1 million people have a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes. Each year, about 1 million people age 20 and older are diag-nosed with diabetes. About 151,000 people less than 20 years of age have diabetes. This represents 0.19 percent of all people in this age group. Approximately one in every 400 to 500 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes. Clinic-based reports and regional studies indicate that type 2 diabetes is becoming more common among American Indian, African American, and Hispanic/Latino children and adolescents.
- Men: 7.8 million. 8.3 percent of all men have diabetes.
- Women: 9.1 million. 8.9 percent of all women have diabetes.
- Non-Hispanic whites: 11.4 million. 7.8 percent of all non-Hispanic whites have diabetes.
- Non-Hispanic blacks: 2.8 million. 13 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks have diabetes. On average, non-Hispanic blacks are two times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age.
- Hispanic/Latino Americans: 2 million. 10.2 percent of all Hispanic/Latino Americans have diabetes. On average, Hispanic/Latino Americans are 1.9 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Mexican Americans, the largest Hispanic/Latino subgroup, are two times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Similarly, residents of Puerto Rico are two times more likely to have diagnosed diabetes than U.S. non-Hispanic whites. Sufficient data is not available to derive more specific current estimates for other groups.
- American Indians and Alaska Natives who receive care from the Indian Health Service (IHS): 105,000, 15.1 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives receiving care from IHS have diabetes. At the regional level, diabetes is least common among Alaska Natives (5.3 percent) and most common among American Indians in the southeastern United States (25.7 percent) and in certain tribes from the Southwest. On average, American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.6 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age.
- Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders: Prevalence data for diabetes among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders are limited. Some groups within these populations are at increased risk for diabetes. For example, data collected from 1996 to 2000 suggest that Native Hawaiians are 2.5 times more likely to have diagnosed diabetes than white residents of Hawaii of similar age.
Mortality from Diabetes
In 1999, approximately 450,000 deaths occurred among people with diabetes that were 25 years and older. This figure represents about 19 percent of all deaths in the United States of people 25 years and older.
- Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about two times that of people without diabetes. However, the increased risk associated with diabetes is greater for younger people (3.6 times for people 25 to 44 years of age versus 1.5 times for those 65 to 74 years old) and women (2.7 times for women 45 to 64 years old versus 2 times for men in that age group).
- Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 1999. This is based on the 68,399 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death. Diabetes was listed as a contributing cause of death on an additional 141,265 death certificates. However, many decedents with diabetes do not have the disease entered on their death certificate; only about 35 to 40 percent have it listed anywhere on the certificate and only about 10 to 15 percent have it listed as the underlying cause of death.
High Risk Factors for Diabetes
The experts suggest that adults 45 years and older be tested for diabetes. If their blood glucose is normal at the first test, they should be tested at 3-year intervals. People under age 45 should be tested if they are at high risk for diabetes. These high-risk factors include:
- Being more than 20 percent above ideal body weight or having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than or equal to 27. BMI is the ratio of weight in kilograms to height in meters squared (kg/m2).
- Having a mother, father, brother, or sister with diabetes.
- Being African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Pacific Islander American.
- Giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds or having diabetes during pregnancy.
- Having blood pressure at or above 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
- Having abnormal blood lipid levels, such as high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol less than 35 mg/dL or triglycerides greater than 250 mg/dL.
- Having abnormal glucose tolerance when previously tested for diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can be associated with serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism - the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body.
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