Diabetes Statistics

The 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet was recently published, and the diabetes statistics are quite alarming.  Current information on diabetes shows that the disease affects 25.8 million people -- that translates to 8.3% of the U.S. population. Of these, 7 million people are estimated to be undiagnosed, and there are an additional 79 million people who have pre-diabetes.  (Pre-diabetes is diagnosed when fasting blood glucose measures between 100 mg/dL to 125 mg/dL; diabetes occurs when fasting blood glucose is over 126 mg/dL.) That means that there are over 100 million people in the United States who are directly, personally, impacted by this devastating disease.  Or said differently, there are over 300 million people living in the United States, of these between one quarter and one third of the population have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Who Has Diabetes?

• 26.9% of people over 65
• 13.7% of people ages 45 - 64
• 3.7% of people ages 20 - 44
• 0.26% of children under 20
• 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older
• 10.8% of all women aged 20 years or older
• 10.2% of all non-Hispanic whites aged 20 years or older
• 18.7% of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older
• 11.8% of Hispanics aged 20 years or older (Among Hispanics rates were: 7.6% for Cubans; 13.3% for Mexican Americans; 13.8% for Puerto Ricans.
• 12.6% of non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older
• 16.1% of American Indians and Alaska Natives aged 20 years or older. Rates vary by region from 33.5% among American Indian adults in southern Arizona to 5.5% among Alaskan Native adults.
• 8.4% of Asian Americans aged 20 years or older

Compared to non-Hispanic white adults, the risk of diagnosed diabetes was 18% higher among Asian Americans, 66% higher among Hispanics, and 77% higher among non-Hispanic blacks. Among Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic white adults, the risk of diagnosed diabetes was about the same for Cubans and for Central and South Americans, 87% higher for Mexican Americans, and 94% higher for Puerto Ricans.  So if you fall into one of these ethnic categories, it is especially important to discuss your diabetic risk factors with your doctor so s/he can order the appropriate tests.

Gestational Diabetes

• Reported rates of gestational diabetes range from 2% to 10% of pregnancies.
• Immediately after pregnancy, 5% to 10% of women with gestational diabetes are found to have diabetes, usually type 2.
• Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 35% to 60% chance of developing diabetes in the next 10–20 years.

Morbidity and Mortality

• Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death based on U.S. death certificates in 2007.
• Diabetes is likely to be under-reported as a cause of death. Studies have found that only 35% to 40% of decedents with diabetes had it listed anywhere on the death certificate.  Only 10% to 15% had diabetes listed as the underlying cause of death.
• The overall risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of the same age.
• 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 of Diabetes

Heart Disease and Stroke

• Heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older.
• Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates two to four times higher than adults without diabetes.
• Stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older.
• The risk for stroke is two to four times higher among people with diabetes.

High Blood Pressure

• 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 and Other Eye Problems

• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.
• 28.5% people with diabetes aged 40 years or older are diagnosed as having diabetic retinopathy. Of these,  4.4% of those had advanced diabetic retinopathy which could lead to severe vision loss.

Kidney disease

• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases.
• In 2008, 48,374 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage kidney disease in the United States.
• In 2008, a total of 202,290 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States.

Neuropathy (Disease of the Nervous System)

• Roughly 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.
• Neuropathy can result in impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slower digestion of food, carpal tunnel syndrome, erectile dysfunction, and other nerve problems.
• Almost 30% of people diagnosed with diabetes who are 40 years or older experience impaired sensation in the feet.

Amputation

• Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations; it accounts for over 60% of these amputations.

Dental Disease

• Periodontal (gum) disease is almost twice as common in people with diabetes.
• Adults aged 45 years or older with poorly controlled diabetes (A1c > 9%) were 2.9 times more likely to have severe periodontitis than those without diabetes. Smoking increases the risk by 4.6 times.
• About one-third of people with diabetes have severe periodontal disease consisting of loss of attachment (5 millimeters or more) of the gums to the teeth.

Other Complications

• People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses, and once they acquire these illnesses, they often have worse prognoses. For example, people with diabetes are more likely to die with pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.
• Uncontrolled diabetes often leads to biochemical imbalances that can cause acute life-threatening events, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar (nonketotic) coma.
• People with diabetes aged 60 years or older are 2–3 times more likely to report an inability to walk one-quarter of a mile, climb stairs, or do housework compared with people without diabetes in the same age group.
• People with diabetes are twice as likely to have depression, which can complicate diabetes management, than people without diabetes.

Summary

Looking at the data presented above, the cost of diabetes to our nations health is staggering.  It is clear there is a diabetes epidemic rampant among our society.  Armed with good information on diabetes we can do something about it.

Diabetes can affect many bodily systems.  It can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney damage, and lower-limb amputations. However, diabetes is not a death sentence, and a diagnosis should not be met with depression or an attitude that nothing can be done.  The diabetes statistics are alarming, however people with diabetes can work with their support network, to control their levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids.  These actions will result in delaying the onset of complications.