Diabetes Awareness
What is diabetes?
Glucose is an essential part of our everyday functions. Our bodies use it for energy, but that requires a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. Insulin is like a taxi for blood sugar—it takes glucose from blood and directs it to our cells, which finish the job by converting it to energy. When someone has diabetes, their body cannot produce or use insulin effectively, which leaves more glucose in their bloodstream.
How common is diabetes?
Diabetes is one of the world’s fastest growing chronic diseases. How prevalent is it? Let’s take a look:
In 1980, 108 million people worldwide had diabetes. By 2014, that number had risen to 422 million. (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020)
An estimated 700 million adults worldwide will have diabetes by 2045. (International Diabetes Federation [IDF], 2020)
China has the highest number of diabetes accounts worldwide, with 116 million people with diabetes. Following China is India (77 million people with diabetes) and then the United States (31 million people with diabetes). (IDF Diabetes Atlas, 2019)
Diabetes statistics in America
More than 34 million Americans have diabetes, which is nearly 11% of the U.S. population.
Every 17 seconds, an American is diagnosed with diabetes.
There are 1.5 million new cases of diabetes in the United States each year.
Diabetes statistics by type
There are four types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune attack on pancreas cells stops them from creating insulin, so people with Type 1 need to take insulin shots every day. In most cases, Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in children and teens, but it can manifest in adults as well.
Type 2 diabetes: People with Type 2 can produce insulin, but their bodies resist it. When blood sugar is consistently high, the pancreas continuously pumps out insulin, and eventually, cells become overexposed. Type 2 is by far the most common type of diabetes and one that typically develops in adults; however, the rate of Type 2 diabetes in children is increasing.
Gestational diabetes: This type only occurs in pregnant women and typically goes away after childbirth; however, half of women who have gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. Treatment includes a doctor-recommended exercise and meal plan. Sometimes daily blood glucose tests and insulin injections are necessary.
Prediabetes: Prediabetes isn’t technically diabetes. It’s more like a precursor. A prediabetic person’s blood glucose is consistently above average, but not high enough to warrant a full diabetes diagnosis. People with prediabetes can help prevent Type 2 diabetes by implementing a healthy diet, increased physical activity, and stress management.
Diabetes statistics by age
There’s a greater prevalence of diabetes among older age groups, especially for Type 2 diabetes, which takes longer to develop.
Of the Americans with diagnosed diabetes, 3.6 million are 18 to 44 years old, 11.7 million are 45 to 64 years old, and 11.5 million are older than 65.
There are 210,000 cases of diagnosed diabetes among children and adolescents younger than 20, including 187,000 cases of Type 1 diabetes.
Of the Americans with undiagnosed diabetes, 1.4 million are 18 to 44, 3.1 million are 45 to 64, and 2.9 million are older than 65.
Approximately 24.2 million adults aged 65 and older have prediabetes.
Diabetes statistics by race and ethnicity
Diabetes prevalence also varies between different racial and ethnic groups. Here’s how the percentage of diagnosed diabetes breaks down:
American Indians/Alaska Natives: 14.7%
Hispanics: 12.5%
Non-Hispanic blacks: 11.7%
Asian Americans: 9.2%
Non-Hispanic whites: 7.5%
And the number of people with diagnosed prediabetes are as follows:
Non-Hispanic whites: 54.8 million
Hispanics: 14.6 million
Non-Hispanic Blacks: 11.4 million
Asian-Americans: 5 million
Common diabetes complications
In 2017, diabetes was America’s seventh leading cause of death. It was listed as the primary cause of death on 83,564 death certificates and mentioned on a total of 270,702 certificates. (ADA, 2020)
Adults with diabetes have a two to three-fold increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. (WHO, 2020)
There were 16 million diabetes related emergency room visits in 2016 among adults aged 18 years or older. (CDC, 2020)
There were 7.8 million hospital discharges with diabetes reported as the diagnoses. Of these discharges, 1.7 million also listed a major cardiovascular disease, including 438,000 ischemic heart diseases and 313,000 strokes. (CDC, 2020)
Among U.S. adults aged 18 years or older with diagnosed diabetes, an estimated 37% also had chronic kidney disease. (CDC, 2020)
Diabetes retinopathy (long-term damage to retinal blood vessels) causes 2.6% of vision loss worldwide. (WHO, 2020)
85% of the world’s foot amputations are a result of a diabetic foot ulcer. (The American Journal of Managed Care, 2018)
African Americans are four times more likely than whites to have a diabetes related amputation. (The American Journal of Managed Care, 2018)
Every day, 230 Americans with diabetes require an amputation. (The American Journal of Managed Care, 2018)
Diabetes prevention
Type 2 diabetes is incredibly widespread, but the good news is that it can be preventable (and prediabetes can be reversed). The best way to keep it at bay is by living a healthy lifestyle, which means a well-balanced diet and regular exercise.
Diabetes can increase one’s fall risk. An adult with diabetes who’s older than 65 is 17 times more likely to fall than a younger adult without diabetes. Group exercise may reduce falls by 28% to 29%.
People who lost 5% to 7% body weight and added 150 minutes of exercise per week decreased their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by up to 58%, and up to 71% for people older than 60.
Resistance exercises (using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, etc.) increased strength in adults with Type 2 diabetes by 50% and improved A1C by 0.57%.
Diabetic women who exercised at least four hours a week had a 40% lower risk of developing heart disease than those who didn’t exercise.