DID YOU KNOW?
- In the United States, more than 20 million people have diabetes. Of those, nearly one-third do not know they have the disease.
- Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
- In people 20 years or older, 10.5 percent of all men and 8.28 percent of all women have diabetes.
- Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes accounts for about 5 percent to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
- Type 2 (noninsulin-dependent) diabetes accounts for about 90 percent to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
- Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates that are about two to four times as high as adults without diabetes.
- The risk of stroke is two to four times higher in people with diabetes.
- An estimated 73 percent of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure.
- About 60 percent to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage. This often includes impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion of food in the stomach, carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve problems.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20 to 74 years old.
- Normal blood sugars decrease your risk of eye disease by 76 percent.
- Periodontal disease (a type of gum disease that can lead to tooth loss) occurs with greater frequency and severity among people who have diabetes.
- People who have diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses. When they do get sick, the illness is also more likely to be severe. For example, they are more likely to die of pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
- Normal blood sugars decrease your chance of severe kidney problems by 50 percent.
- Stress of any kind can raise your blood sugar.
- More than 60 percent of lower limb amputations in the United States that aren't related to traumatic injuries occur among people with diabetes.
- People with diabetes who smoke are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease compared to people with diabetes who don't smoke.
- Two out of three people who have type 2 diabetes die from heart disease and stroke
- Every year diabetes causes 12,000 to 24,000 cases of blindness, 42,813 cases of kidney failure, 82,000 amputations, and more than 200,000 deaths.